


I Bet My Life For You

by Lyssala



Series: Canonverse [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, One Shot Collection, Tumblr request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-08-21 23:28:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 27,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8264404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyssala/pseuds/Lyssala
Summary: A collection of Tumblr requests that take place in the canon universe within the story line, or were predictions for future chapters at the time, focusing on Eren and Mikasa. Time ranges from Pre-Series to Current. Ratings vary by chapter; K-M.





	1. Star Gazing

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first set in a series of canoverse works ^^ The next ones will be two different Post-Series worlds, and then a Canon AU set. And why yes, I did slip a Final Fantasy X quote in this first one lmao
> 
> Setting: The Farmhouse

_**Anonymous:**  Is it all right to make an EreMika fic, during the time they're still training for the 57th expedition... On the third night, Eren and Mikasa are stargazing while lying down among the grass. That would be cute._

* * *

 

Okay, with everything that was going in their world and in the Scouting Legion sneaking out probably shouldn’t be high on Eren’s to do list. He still found himself walking down the hallway of the farm house they were staying in, trying to make as little noise as he possibly could. The stairs creaked the moment he stepped on them which made him cringe and freeze but no sounds followed. Once he was satisfied no one was coming after him, Eren quickly hurried down the rest of the stairs to the front closet where his jacket and warm gear was resting.

They weren’t quite at snow yet, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t gonna be freezing outside in the middle of the night. He tugged on his jacket, zipping it up before pulling out a pair for gloves from his pocket. He didn’t get as cold as everyone else so he wasn’t too concerned about what he was leaving exposed to the night air when he pushed open the front door. Eren made sure the door made virtually no noise when he closed it and went down the front steps of the porch so that should someone come inspect any noise he’d be long out of sight. Well, save for maybe from Levi who Eren was pretty convinced could see through walls.

No sounds came though, not even the creak of the old building. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and walked off into the fields that surrounded the area. Since it was winter there were no crops growing; no tall cornstalks though Eren might’ve liked to see what that looked like. The fields were barren and dark, only the bright moon and the stars illuminating his walk.

It was brisk but the air was fresh, making him feel far more awake than he knew he was. They were pushing hard on training and sometimes Eren would just sleep for days trying to recover his body. He should be resting, they were leaving soon and he needed to be at the top but this was important too.

He walked until he saw another dark shaded body sitting down in the middle of the open field. He knew there was no danger out here anymore; they weren’t wanted for treason anymore, there was no need to hide. Well, again, except from Levi who would murder the both of them for being out here.

Eren sat down next to Mikasa who was way more bundled up than he was, her red scarf blowing gently in the wind. When he looked over to she was already watching him; granted that was about all he could see of her face considering her scarf was covering most all of it.

“You’re not that cold,” he snorted, reaching over to tug it down a little so she could at least talk to him.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said once he tucked the excess of the scarf under her chin. “Not all of us can keep our bodies at high temperatures.”

He felt his stomach clench. “That’s about the only good thing being a shifter brings.”

“Eren,” she said, her face softening significantly.

He laid down on the cold ground of the field, eyes turning up towards the sky. Nerves were already tightening in his body. He came out here to relax, to actually see Mikasa in what felt like months but he had to go and bring the mood completely down. “Didn’t Armin say that all the stars were named?”

Mikasa was quiet for a moment, like she was unsure whether to humor him or press the topic he was leaving unsaid. “Yes, he said the stars made shapes and each one told a story.”

All it looked like to Eren was a big, black expanse with dots everywhere. “Do you remember any?”

“Maybe,” she said.

“Then get down here.”

She laid herself down on her back next to him, their shoulders pressed together and legs brushing by. “They were heroes if I remember right,” she said, her breath coming out in little puffs of smoke. “Heroes honored by the gods to live on forever in the sky.”

Eren snorted. “That sounds like a load of shit.”

“We fight giant man eating creatures, but living in immortality in the sky is bullshit?”

“Well, yeah, Titans we’re beginning to explain, or Hanji is I guess. You can’t explain all of this.” He gestured a hand up at the sky before placing both his hands under his head, careful not to hit Mikasa as he did.

“And what if heroes in the sky was explaining it? What if when you die stars shine up there, letting the whole world know what you’ve done?”

Despite the fact he thought it was ridiculous, his chest felt warmer that she thought he was a hero who deserved to be among the stars. “I’m no hero, Mikasa. If there were gods, they’d probably be glad I couldn’t roam the earth anymore.”

“That’s not true.” Her voice was suddenly so firm it almost made him jump.

He decided it was best not to fight her on the matter. “How about you then? I can see you right…” He took one of his hands out from under his head and pointed up at a bright cluster of stars. “Right there. Standing tall and calm, with your blades after kicking everyone’s asses.”

She chuckled and hit his shoulder with her hand. “Are you with me then?”

“Sure, see that large, hulking figure behind you. That’s me.”

Her hand didn’t move from him and Eren could feel her warmth sinking in through her gloves and his jacket. “Why not back to back?”

“Back to my foot maybe.”

“Why do you have to be in your titan form?”

He rolled his head to the side to see her already looking at him. “Because that seems to be the only time I can actually do some good, and even that’s iffy.”

Mikasa shook her head. “You, just like this, just the way you are. That’s the real hero.”

“Okay,” he breathed, unable to look away from her. The way Mikasa looked at him always took his breath away. He had no idea how he didn’t see if for so long; how much she just cared about him for who he was and everything he wasn’t. That no matter what happened, she’d be right here and she’d always have his back. He could only hope she saw the same thing when he looked at her. “Back to back it is then.”

She gave him a smile, one of those rare smiles that he only ever got to see. Mikasa stayed quiet but she inched a little closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. Eren instinctively rested his head against hers while she looped her arm through his. He couldn’t count on just about anything in this world; it was always changing, always turning but one thing he knew  was she’d always be with him. He wouldn’t want it any other way.

His eyes looked back up to the night sky. “What do you think they’ll say about us long after we’re gone?”

She paused for a moment. “He was just a boy when he had the weight of the world placed on his shoulders, but he never faltered and he selflessly did what he could to right the wrongs of the past and bring freedom back to the people. He was a true hero no matter how much he doubted himself.”

“Oh, is that all?”

Mikasa hit him on the chest but he felt her laughing.

“Well, I know what they’d say about you,” he said, catching her hand in his before she pulled away.

“Do you?”

The stars almost looked like they were shimmering overhead. “She was the strongest, on par with Captain Levi himself, but it wasn’t her physical strength and unwavering loyalty that made her strong. It was her heart. She loved a foolish and head strong boy who never deserved it, but she never gave up on him. She loved him until her last breath, and he…he loved her just as long.”

The air was quiet between them, peaceful. Maybe she was surprised, or maybe like him, she just always knew.

“Eren?” she said, her voice almost as soft as the wind.

“Yeah?”

“Will we…will we be together up until the very end?”

“No,” Eren said, his voice feeling as soft as hers sounded. “Not just till the end, always.”

Mikasa rolled her face into his shoulder and he could almost feel her smile. He had no idea what was waiting for them once they left, he had no idea what they’d find in Shiganshina, but he knew she’d be there with him. It was all he could ever ask for.

She pressed a kiss against his shoulder. “Always then.”


	2. Injured

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Trainee Days

_**Anonymous:**  Hiiii!!!!! Could you do a fic in the canon universe where Eren and Mikasa get stranded during there training days in the forest, and Mikasa gets hurt and Eren takes care of her for days until the others find them, and he's really sweet to her and gah!!! Thanks!!_

* * *

It was just a training exercise. Just a training exercise in secure woods where there was no threat to anyone save for someone missing their target and launching themselves into a tree. There was nothing to be afraid of so Eren really couldn’t understand why he was worried that he couldn’t find Mikasa anywhere. She was probably fine wherever she was, and she’d catch up eventually but when he didn’t see her at the meeting place to head back to base, he rushed back into the woods for her.

They wouldn’t leave if two of their recruits were missing, right?

“Mikasa!” he called up into the tall trees. “C’mon! We’re gonna get in trouble!”

No answer. He walked back up the obstacle course looking around to see if maybe she got tangled up or something. Eren doubted it, but otherwise he had no idea where she could’ve gone to.

“I really don’t wanna get stuck cleaning the bathrooms again!” he shouted. “Where are you?”

Maybe she already went to the group. He supposed he could just go back and see. Shadis was probably getting ready to murder the both of them right about now. Eren sighed and turned back the way he came; hopefully she’d just be there and he wouldn’t need to worry as to where the hell she went off too.

He didn’t get to far when he heard something. It wasn’t much but it made him halt in his tracks. It wasn’t the wind or the cry of an animal, it was a voice. “Mikasa?” he asked.

“Eren.” Her voice was soft, distant, but he heard it and he knew it was her. He also knew something wasn’t right.

He looked around the area quickly but he had no idea where she was. “I need you to move or something, I can’t find you!”

It was quiet again and he thought maybe he imagined her saying his name. A tree branch started to shake rhythmically. She was in the trees. Eren carefully aimed his gear towards the trunk of the tree the branch was shaking, taking off, and landing on wobbly legs in the middle of the branch as gently as he could, so he wouldn’t fall or make her fall wherever she was. He was gonna call her name again but he saw her black head of hair before he needed to.

She was propped up against the trunk of the tree, sitting on the thickest part of the tree. Her gear was a crumbled mess around her, which is probably why she couldn’t get down. As he walked closer to her he saw the way her leg was sticking at an unnatural angle, the way her hand was over her stomach, her breathing labored. When Mikasa looked over to him, he could see the blood on her face.

Eren dropped to his knees in front of her, his heart hammering in his chest. He didn’t think he had ever seen her so hurt before, Mikasa, she didn’t get hurt. She was always stronger than whatever came her way. He pulled his jacket sleeve over his fingers and reached up to wipe her blood away. “What happened?”

“The cables got tangled in something,” she breathed, her eyes drooping just a bit. “It knocked me into the tree and…my foot got caught in the branches.”

It was just so surreal, she never had a problem with her gear before; everything she did was always perfect. “We have to get you down,” he said. “I can do it but I can’t promise it’s not gonna be smooth.”

“I trust you.”

Eren tried to scoop her up into his arms as best he could. She gave out a few small cries but nothing too serious. Once he felt satisfied that he had a good grip on her, he shot out his own cables towards a lower tree and tried to even out his landing as best he could for her. Once his feet were on the ground he hoisted her up just a little so he wouldn’t drop her, not to mention her bulky gear was kinda making it hard to keep a good grip.

“Everyone was ready to leave,” Eren said as he tried to walk as quickly as he could to the entrance of the forest. “I noticed you were gone so I went back to see where you went off to.”

“You came back for me?”

He grunted, though his heart sunk a little with guilt at how surprised she sounded. “‘Course I did.”

Mikasa was quiet after that, though Eren figured it might be because she was having trouble breathing. She must’ve hit her ribs too. Eren saw the last wooden titan poking out from the trees meaning they were close to the entrance. Finally, all he wanted to do was make sure Mikasa was okay and then promptly go to bed. After training and everything, he was ready to sleep the entire night away.

He stepped into the clearing just past the woods expecting to see that vein in Shadis’ face practically exploding, to have Armin run over to check on Mikasa but no one was there. Not even in the distance. They were gone, they left. Eren just stood there staring out over the field, like that was gonna bring them back. There was no way they’d make it back to base before nightfall with Mikasa who couldn’t walk and no horses.

What was he supposed to do now?

“Do you think its neglect to leave two of your trainees out in the middle of nowhere?” he groaned.

“He probably thought it more as punishment for wandering off.”

They were stuck. They were stuck in this God forsaken training ground until someone decided to come back for them. Who knows how long that was gonna be. Well, he couldn’t just stand there like an idiot holding her. They had to find safety; just because there weren’t titans didn’t mean there weren’t wild animals in here.

“Can you drop your gear so they know we’re here when they come back?” Eren asked.

She nodded and tried to put her good foot on the ground. He kept her balance as she released the gear, letting it fall to the ground with a crack. He picked her back up and turned around to face the trees again. Well, that was as safe as they were gonna get.

“Hold on again, okay?” he said looking down at Mikasa.

She carefully reached her hands up around his neck and once he was satisfied she had good grip he shot them back up into a tree. The branches were thick enough for them to stay, and close to the entrance of the forest to keep watch for someone to come back to get them, hopefully before it got dark and the temperature dropped.

Eren placed her up against the tree trunk and kneeled down to try and look her injuries over. If they were gonna be stuck here then he needed to do something to make her more comfortable. “Where does it hurt?”

“Ah, my leg,” she said, leaning her head back against the tree. “Ribs and uh, head.”

Eren reached up to brush back her hair to see the cut where the blood was coming from earlier. It looked pretty shallow; head wounds just always bled more than anything. That should be okay till they could clean it better. Her ribs and leg, that was a little more serious to treat now. It had been a long time since he helped his dad with any type of first aid but it wasn’t something he forgot very easily, especially when he saw Mikasa hurting in front of him.

He pulled his cloak off from his shoulders and held it in his lap. Thankfully, there was a tear in it already from when it got snagged on a tree branch. Eren started to pull at it, ripping the fabric into thick strips. “Can you shrug out of your harness at all?”

“Yeah.” With careful motions, Eren watched her pull off her jacket and start to unbuckle what she could of her upper harness till it was pooled around her hips.

Once he had sufficiently tore up his cloak he leaned over her, fingers hesitating over her stomach. “Is it okay if I…?”

She nodded, pulling her tucked white button up from her pants and helping him undo the buttons up to her chest. Eren helped her sit up a little bit away from the tree before grabbing the fabric scarps from his lap. He started to wrap the fabric around her skin, trying to get it firm so the ribs wouldn’t move, but not too tight so it didn’t hurt them more. He avoided touching her bare skin as much as possible but he felt shivers go down his spine every time his fingers brushed over her. He really wasn’t sure why, they used to go swimming in the river together when they were kids but as he watched her body shaking gently at his touch, he knew something had changed from then to now; something changed in him, something changed in her.

“Feel better?” he asked, tucking off the end of his makeshift bandages.

“Yes, thank you,” Mikasa said, her breathing already seeming a little better.

Next was the hard one though. He looked down at her leg that was more than likely fractured in the least, if not broken. He’d have to place it back, and then bind it in a cast of sorts. It wasn’t gonna be a fun time for Mikasa, but it was better than having it start to heal wrong.

He set aside the rest of the fabric in his lap and pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”

Mikasa already started to work on getting her shirt buttoned up and her harness back on as he balanced on the thick branches. He walked about as far as he could to find thick, but breakable branches to brace her leg with. The sun was already starting to go down, making light in the forest become scarce very quickly. How could they just leave him and Mikasa here? What were they thinking?

He gathered the branches in his arms and made his way back to Mikasa. She had her jacket back on now and was huddled under her own cloak. The sun setting meant the temperature was dropping too. It wasn’t winter yet so they probably wouldn’t freeze but it’s not like it would be comfortable if they had to be here all night.

Eren sat back down in front of her, grabbing the remains of his cloak to put with the branches. He looked up at her, her own eyes watching him wearily. “I’m sorry, Mikasa, this is gonna hurt a lot. You ready?”

She nodded, pulling her scarf up over her mouth.

He looked down at her leg, hoping to whatever high power there was he remembered how to do this right. He positioned his hands on her leg and pressed hard. With a sickening sound, her foot went back into sitting where it should. Eren quickly placed the branches against her leg, wrapping them up as he went so her leg wouldn’t move back out of place till they could get her to a real medic.

Eren looked up to make sure she was doing okay, but her head was leaning so far back against the tree he couldn’t really see her face. She never liked people to see her in pain so he figured that’s what she was doing now. He went back to making her cast as sturdy as he could with the limited resources he had. It wasn’t looking so bad really; Eren thought it might even make his dad proud were he hear to see it. His mom too.

Eren walked over to where Mikasa was sitting. “How’s that?”

“It feels secure.” Her voice cracked a bit when she spoke. He never broke any bones before and really couldn’t imagine the type of pain she must’ve been in but it was necessary so it could heal as fast as he knew she’d want it to.

He sat down on the spot next to her, resting his head against the trunk. The sun was lost behind the trees, settling them in near darkness as the remaining sunlight started to vanish and the moonlight and starlight began to come out. It was getting a little chilly, but nothing too bad with his uniform on.

Mikasa on the other hand was shivering under her cloak and uniform. He hoped it was just because she got colder easier and not having to do with a fever or infection taking a hold of her. Eren reached over to feel her head and it seemed normal. She was probably just cold. She was always the one stealing his blankets back home.

“Here,” he said softly, motioning for her to scoot forward a bit. When she did he slipped in behind her, his legs on either side of her, and gently pulling her until her back was to his chest. He was a bit unsure where to put his hands but settled on her thighs where any pressure wouldn’t hurt her more.

Mikasa rolled her head back against his shoulder, her shivers beginning to stop. It was one of the reasons they always did sleep well together. Eren was always warm and she was always cold; he never minded when he was suddenly assaulted with ice cold hands and toes in the middle of the night. In fact, he missed it the past few years when boys and girls were separated by buildings.

A smile pulled at his lips at the thought. Even when he didn’t intend to he was always there to help her, even if it was just sharing his body heat. If he hadn’t gone looking for her then she’d be stuck in that tree in pain and freezing all alone. That thought sent a jab of pain in his chest.

“Hey, Mikasa?”

“Yeah?” her voice was still soft.

“Why were you so surprised when I came to look for you?” The way her voice sounded when he found her, the look in her eyes. It hurt to think that she felt like if she was missing he’d just forget about her. He never forgot about her.

She was quiet for a moment. “I just thought you didn’t want me around.”

Another jab to the chest, but this time due to guilt. Did she really think that of him? Because of the way he acted? “That’s not true,” he said. “I just…I…” What is it he wanted to say? He wanted to say he never wanted her to follow him here. He never wanted this life for her. Mikasa was strong, yeah, but she wasn’t made for this life. He wanted her safe somewhere away from titans, away from the fighting, away from danger. “I want you to be safe.”

“And I want you to be safe.”

Well, that he could understand at least but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t her job to protect him. He saved her life all those years ago; it was his job to protect her. Yeah, it was frustrating to deal with her constantly on his back about everything but he’d never leave her behind. He’d never let anything happen to her.

“Try and go to sleep, okay? I’ll keep watch in case they come,” Eren said.

She nodded and he was pretty sure it wouldn’t take too long for her to pass out from either sleep or pain.

Eren kept an ear out for voices, for horses, for any sound of someone coming to get them. Most of all he heard her heartbeat. They were almost out of training, almost to graduation where Eren knew no matter how much he’d try and convince her not to, she’d follow him into the Scouting Legion.

He promised himself no matter what, he’d always fight to be able to hear that heartbeat.


	3. First Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Pre-Series in Shiganshina

_**Anonymous:**  hello lyssala, can you make a fic where eren and mikasa kiss for the first time? and when do you think they could do it? in their childhood or in the trainee days?_

* * *

“You’re it!” Eren said as he ran by Armin, giving him a slap on the back.

“That’s no fair,” he sighed, slowing his run down to a walk. “I’m always it.”

“Then run faster!” Eren was already running farther into the field where he knew Armin would take a little bit longer to get to him. Mikasa was nowhere to be found which wasn’t too much of a surprise considering she was faster than either of them.

Eren took a deep breath of the warm summer air as he ran. His mom let them off from chores today as long as they promised to keep out of trouble and entertain themselves outside while she cleaned the house. He wasn’t about to object. He had grabbed Mikasa’s hand and went to find Armin before pulling them both into the large field they played in so often. No one else was here today, not that it was too unusual, so it made for a good game of tag; even if the running was a bit imbalanced.

He was about to call for Mikasa just cause he hadn’t seen her in a little while when a hard hit to his back nearly had him falling on his face.

“You’re it,” Mikasa’s quiet but still very amused voice called out.

Oh, he knew she slowed down plenty to let Armin tag her so she could come after him. If Mikasa thought Eren didn’t know her tricks by now she had another thing coming. Her red scarf was blowing behind as she ran ahead of him, always leaving a trail behind her no matter how fast she ran. He pressed the balls of his feet into the field as he went after her.

Mikasa was fast, even if he was faster than Armin. Eren knew she intentionally slowed herself down so it could be an even game but she wasn’t slowing down this time; probably because he knew it was Eren behind her. She turned around a corner, back behind a bunch of rocks.

They didn’t go around there too often, there ground was too uneven and Eren scraped his knees and elbows up one too many times to know better (and his mom told them to stop going in there before they really got hurt). But he wasn’t about to let Mikasa win this. He slowed his pace down just a bit when he reached the rocks so he wouldn’t fall figuring Mikasa would be smart and do the same thing.

He was wrong.

Eren heard her fall before he saw her. It was a thump kinda noise and suddenly he couldn’t hear her feet pounding on the ground anymore. It was the small cry he knew to be her that gave her away completely though. He skidded to a stop in the dirt, looking over the rocks to see where she fell. Hopefully not too far, his mother would kill him if he let something happened to her.

“Mikasa!” he called out climbing up over one of the rocks. Well, she didn’t fall down any of the rocks at least. Eren slid over the boulder till his feet where on the ground again. “Mikasa! I heard you fall, you don’t have to hide it from me.” Which he assumed was what she was doing.

“Over here,” her small voice said.

Eren followed the sound, climbing over another rock and another one until he saw her back pressed up against one of the rocks.

She wasn’t looking at him though she must’ve heard him jump back down on the ground near her. She had her scarf up over her mouth, eyes looking the opposite direction of Eren.

The closer he got the more he saw the tears she wasn’t letting fall, the way her hand was holding her knee up to her chest, and he knew she was hurt even if she didn’t want to show it. “You shouldn’t have run back here,” Eren said, stepping over a smaller rock to get to her. “You tell me enough, you should listen to your own words.”

Mikasa still didn’t say anything or even glance his way. She was being stubborn about it which was something Eren was familiar with since he knew he could be pretty stubborn too.

He stepped in front of her, and crossed his arms. “Well, are you gonna let me help you or what?”

She finally looked up at him, her dark eyes watery. She must’ve cut herself pretty good to make herself cry. Eren really only ever saw her cry when she’d curl up in his bed at night to make the nightmares go away. Mikasa let her leg go and slowly pulled up her dress until her knee was showing.

Yeah, she got herself good alright. Eren let out a low whistle as he sat down on his knees in front of her. She had to of fallen and slid across the rocks cause her whole knee was scraped up, the wound open and bleeding with bits of dirt and rock in it. “We’re gonna have to take it back to my mom,” Eren said and he saw a small flash of fear in her eyes. “Yeah, I know, gonna have to tell her where we were and probably get in trouble but it’s gonna get worse if she doesn’t clean it out.”

Mikasa watched him for a moment. “It hurts.” Her voice was so quiet Eren almost didn’t hear her.

It was so strange seeing her to be in physical pain for once. Even all the times she jumped in to fight the bullies for him or Armin she never really got hurt. Eren didn’t like it. He felt his heart clench at the few tears that rolled down her cheeks, the way her hand was grasping at her shin as if that would help the pain go away. Eren really hated it; it made him feel sad. He didn’t like seeing Mikasa like this. He just wanted to make her feel better.

“Well, my mom always used to kiss my cuts to make them feel better.” Eren wasn’t sure why but he felt his face get hot. “Would that help?”

Mikasa’s eyes brightened just a little bit. “I think it’s too gross to kiss.”

She had a point; the wound was pretty dirty and bloody. “What about somewhere else?”

“Where?”

Eren didn’t have an answer for that. He tried to think of a good place to kiss her that would make her feel better. He only ever kissed his mom on the cheek but that was different. Mikasa wasn’t his mom or even his sister, there had to be a better place. An image popped into his head and he felt his cheeks get hotter. His dad always kissed his mom on the lips and it always made her smile. Would that make Mikasa smile too?

Eren supposed it was worth a try. He leaned in a little bit towards her face and tugged her scarf down so he could actually see her mouth. His heart started racing in his chest when he felt her warm breath on his face. Eren heard her breath catch in her throat the closer he got and he wondered if he was doing the right thing. She didn’t move though, her making any objecting noises so he figured it was alright.

He didn’t stop until his lips pressed to hers. It was a bit of strange feeling but her lips were so soft and it made his chest warm, just like it did when she was curled up against him at night. Eren pulled back unsure of how long something like that was supposed to last. His heart was pounding and he knew his cheeks were still red when he met her eyes again.

Her cheeks were red too, almost as red as her scarf, but she was smiling now. A small smile, but it was better than the look of sadness she had on before. “It feels better now.”

Eren found himself smiling too even though he wasn’t quite sure why. “Good.” He turned around on the ground so his back was facing her. “I’ll carry you back to mom, okay?”

She didn’t answer him but he felt her arms reach around her neck. He grabbed a hold of her legs, though careful of the hurt one, and pulled her up with him. Mikasa’s head rested just a bit against his as he started to find the best was out of the area that wouldn’t require him to climb over anything or that wouldn’t brush up against her leg.

He tried to ignore how much he liked the brief feeling of her lips against his. That was stupid stuff for grownups, not for them. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d probably do it again if he had the chance. Not that he would ever tell anyone that, not even Armin.

It was the smile on her lips too. He loved to see her smile and the fact something he did made her look that way brought that warmth back into his chest. She always fussed over him so much, but he did like being the one to take care of her too.

“Hey, Mikasa?” he asked, glancing at her face over his shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll tell mom I led you in there in the first place.”


	4. Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of people were upset over the interview that came out a few months back, but I still stand by that it won’t be a physical separation because that just wouldn’t be Mikasa you know? I couldn’t see anything that would make her actually leave his side. To me it was him very much saying Mikasa is a person of her own, she doesn’t need to be dependent on him to be her own character but that doesn’t mean she still doesn’t wanna be with him. It was Isayama saying no, Mikasa is not that character whose whole world revolves around a man, she’s a person too but that still doesn’t mean she can’t want to be with him just because she loves him. Nothing Isayama said made me feel okay Mikasa is gonna leave and never come back or she’s gonna oppose Eren. So this came out of that ^^
> 
> Setting: Slightly in the Future of Current Events.

_**Anonymous:**  You know how Mikasa had to worry about almost losing Eren early on? How about Eren dealing with almost losing Mikasa?_

* * *

 

Eren noticed the change. Well, maybe not at first cause he had a hard time pinpointing exactly when it started. Maybe it was before Shiganshina, maybe it was during, maybe it was after all of it was over or maybe it was a long time ago. Regardless of the time he knew something happened and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

Mikasa was different.

Not like she was just relieved all this was over and was planning out what to do next with her life like they all were, no, something was really different. It wasn’t bad he didn’t think, but just…different. Eren remembered it the most during Shiganshina. He was so used to her being there when he was in trouble and yet looking back, she just, well, wasn’t. He didn’t notice it then because of everything that was going on but looking back Eren couldn’t remember her swinging in to save him when he was in trouble.  He remembered her holding him when they thought Armin was dead and helping Eren take care of Armin in the aftermath.

Eren’s throat went dry as he sat in the mess hall alone, staring down at the coffee in his cup.

Even after him and Armin fought over what to do next, Mikasa still stood by Eren’s side but it was different. Eren just didn’t know how to explain it. She was still Mikasa, and she still fought with them to get where they were now but…

He tipped his cup up to his lips, letting the now cool liquid down his throat.

She was still Mikasa, still the same girl he always knew. She did look a little happier more recently; honestly just about everyone did. Still, normally she’d be sitting right by his side right now, waiting till he finished all his breakfast but she was nowhere to be found.  It shouldn’t bother him as much as it did, he should be happy. He hated the way she fussed over him, the way she babied him. Now she wasn’t, she wasn’t even in the same room as him and he just felt…he felt like something was missing.

Eren wasn’t sure where she was right now and that just never really happened. She was always with him and now she wasn’t.

He wasn’t mad at her. She was more than welcome to do what she liked but she used to like to be around him. He wondered if maybe he did something wrong. If all those years he took her for granted finally caught up and she was just done. His stomach sank at the thought. He tried to do better, he tried to treat her more how he felt but maybe it was too late. Maybe she was already gone.

He wanted to throw the cup against the wall and watch it shatter but he just tightened his grip on it instead. If that was the cause then he was the one to blame. He was the one who always pushed her away, told her to leave him alone and what did he do when she did? Get angry and upset. Why the hell did he always push her away if that was the case then? Probably because he didn’t know, he didn’t understand how much she meant to him. He still didn’t even know just how much but he knew that if he lost her nothing would be the same again.

He always thought it would be because he was carless and rushed into danger and she came after him, risking her life to save him. Yet it seemed that wasn’t the case. She was still alive and she wasn’t here. Despite the way he acted he never thought there would be a day that she…that she didn’t want him. Eren reached up to run a hand through his hair. It hurt more than he thought it would.

She was by his side when everything went down, when they finally found out all the secrets his father was hiding, when they faced their final foe. Yet even then Eren knew she wasn’t just fighting for him, she was fighting her own battle too. She was her own person, and she always had been. Eren really should’ve expected this time would come that she’d chose to go her own way and do the things that she wanted to do.

He guessed now that it was over he hoped that meant staying with him too. Maybe he should’ve told her that, maybe he should’ve done something for her for once in her life and she’d know. But he didn’t, and now she was free to go off to the country somewhere and have the family she always wanted.

Eren did throw the cup that time, ceramic shattering and coffee splashing everywhere. He pushed his chair out from under him and started to walk out of the room.

Okay, he felt bad he kinda made a mess for someone else to clean up but he couldn’t face going back in there alone.

What if she left and he never saw her again? What if someone else made her happy? What if his life was never the same because he let her slip away from him? He promised her they’d always be together, and he meant it, but what if she didn’t want that? It was his fault, he shouldn’t have taken her for granted for so long, he shouldn’t have always expected her to be there, he shouldn’t have treated her so bad just because she wanted to make sure he was okay.

He shoved his hands in his pant pockets and walked down the otherwise empty hall. He had no idea where he was going or what he was gonna do but he needed to do something. Ever since they came back to base they didn’t have much to do since everyone was preoccupied with the way the world was changing. It was nice to have a break but not when his mind always went to places he didn’t want it to go.

Eren was just gonna go outside and get some fresh air but he heard a voice that had him halting in his tracks. He backed up a little bit to look into the doorway of a common room. There weren’t many people in there but Mikasa was. She was sitting on a chair a book open in her lap but she wasn’t looking at it, she was watching a few people sitting nearby as they talked to her. She had a small smile on her lips as she listened, her voice nearly sending shivers down her spine.

Mikasa never used to do that, just go and talk to people he didn’t even recognize. Hell, she barely talked to anyone in their squad for a long time. It was good to see her like that, to see her happy and being able to be more like the girl she probably was before her parents died.

Despite the fact he did feel happy for her, his heart still sank. She didn’t need him anymore.

Eren turned to leave but she caught his eyes first and he froze.

A smile pulled at her lips, a different one than before. Her eyes lit up a bit and for a moment, it was like he was the only one in the room. He couldn’t hold back a smile of his own as she mouthed a “hi”. He reached his hand up and waved slightly. She almost laughed, her eyes bright looking at him like she always did, his old red scarf around her neck. Warmth filled his chest.

Something had changed in her, and maybe she didn’t need him like she used to anymore but maybe that didn’t mean that she didn’t want him. He was beginning to realize he needed her in a way he hadn’t before and maybe…she felt the same.


	5. Teenage Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated M for some graphic language.
> 
> Setting: Trainee Days

_**Anonymous:**  Have you ever thought about the 104ths going through puberty lol like the awkwardness of it all. The guys being screwed because they're surrounded by pretty girls all day, every day. and the girls blushing at literally EVERYTHING nice anyone says to them and taking it in a romantic or sexual way even if it isn't. I have a serious NEED for a fic like this_

* * *

 

The first time it happened Eren had no idea what was going on. It started off as a perfectly normal dream; just him, Mikasa, and Armin laying out in a field watching the sky. That was fine, that was what they used to do after all, but then Armin was gone and Eren was kissing Mikasa; if he was being honest with himself that wasn’t even too unusual. What was unusual was the way it made him feel. Even though Eren knew it was a dream while it was happening it still felt like Mikasa’s warm body was right next to him. He could almost feel the way her lips would’ve moved with his, her chest pressed up to his, her body squirming under him. Heat swirled in the pit of Eren’s stomach. 

Her skin was hot when he slipped his hands under her shirt and a cry fell from her lips that had shivers going down his spine. Eren trailed his lips across her jaw, and to her neck, nipping at the skin. Her hands dug into his shoulders, her leg running up his till she kicked it up over his hip. On instinct Eren groaned and rolled his hips into hers.

“Eren,” she breathed.

He felt the familiar waves of pleasure washing over him forcing him to bite his lip to keep from groaning a loud as his eyes fluttered open. He knew it was a dream, he did, but he was still a little surprised when he saw the darkness of the boy’s bunk and not the bright open sky. That surprise amplified when he realized the crotch of his pants was sticking uncomfortably to his skin.

He was no stranger to the thick liquid that was caked to him or the feelings he woke up to but never out of his control like that. Eren rolled over to try and go back to sleep hoping it was just because it had been a few days since he had a moment to himself and not because of the dream itself.

The second time it happened Eren didn’t know what to do. It was essentially the same dream, just him and Mikasa. He woke up to his orgasm again, eyes wide as visions of their bodies pressed together flashed in his head and a longing desire in the pit of his stomach. The third time it happened, he couldn’t look Mikasa in the eye for the whole day. What would she think if she knew he was having those kinda dreams about her? Or even worse they effect they were having on him? They were just dreams though. They didn’t mean anything. Did they?

He both wanted to ask one of his friends and wanted to pretend it never happened. Armin was the first person Eren would go to for anything but he hesitated to go to Armin for this. They were best friends, yeah, but they never talked about sex or anything like that. Would Armin even know what Eren was talking about? Jean was definitely out and so was Connie. Marco was nice enough but Eren never really talked to him. Bertholdt never really talked to anyone but Annie and well, Reiner; he might know something.

Really the thought of talking about this to anyone was mortifying but Mikasa was already asking why Eren was avoiding her. He really hated seeing that sad look in her eyes and knowing he was the one causing it. He had to do something. Eren waited till they had a free afternoon and practically dragged Armin to a secluded area of the rec room, trying to ignore that look in Mikasa’s face when Eren told her she couldn’t come with them. If telling his friend who he had known since they were kids was embarrassing it would be tenfold with Mikasa there. He could still see her sitting alone, pretending to listen to Sasha’s babbling.

“Eren?” Armin asked carefully from his spot on the worn out couch. “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

Armin really was the one Eren felt the most comfortable with, even if he had no idea if this kinda stuff was outside Armin’s knowledge. Granted, now that Eren was sitting on the couch with Armin watching him, Eren had no idea what he was supposed to say.

“Is something the matter?” Armin asked, his voice quiet against the rest of the loud room.

“No,” Eren said. “Well, I think.”

“You think?”

This was a bad idea, but Eren had no idea what else to do. If he didn’t understand what was going on he might keep having those dreams and never look at Mikasa again. That was hard enough now let alone keeping it up.  “I’ve just been having these dreams lately.”

“Like nightmares?” Armin asked leaving back against the couch some. He looked less nervous now at least.

Eren would rather them be nightmares, those he understood, this he didn’t. “No, not nightmares…they’re, uh…” How could he describe it aside from “dreams where I’m making out with Mikasa and wake up with cum all over myself”. The thought alone had his face heating up. “Dreams with…you know, girls in them.”

Armin arched an eyebrow. “I don’t think there’s anything strange about having girls in your dreams, Eren. I’m pretty sure that’s normal.”

“No,” Eren groaned. “Not like that like…like…” He just couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Armin gave a bit of a knowing look. “Like kissing.”

Eren breathed a small sigh of relief; that was at least in the right direction. “A little more than kissing,” he mumbled.

“I still think that’s pretty normal. I read about it in your dad’s books once.”

Eren glanced to Armin. “Have you had them?”

His cheeks turned red but he nodded. “Yeah, a few times.”

“Did you wake up…and…you know?” Eren really didn’t want to ask Armin if he woke up having an orgasm but Eren also did want to know if it was just him.

“Oh, you mean…yeah, that’s happened too.” Armin’s voice was low, even though there was no one really around.

Eren was feeling a lot better, at least he wasn’t alone. There was thing that was still bothering him though. “Was it about someone you knew?”

Something flashed in Armin’s eyes that Eren couldn’t quite read but the small grin pulling at his best friend’s lips was enough to enough to distract Eren from it. “Was yours?”

Eren told himself he wasn’t gonna give his secret away but his eyes flickered over to Mikasa. She was still sitting at the table alone.

“The fact it was her is perfectly normal for you at least.”

Eren jumped at Armin’s voice. When Eren looked back, Armin had followed Eren’s gaze to Mikasa and there was some stupid smile on Armin’s face. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Eren grunted.

“What’re you two going on about?”

Once again, Eren nearly jumped out of his skin when Reiner suddenly plopped down in the chair across from them. “Nothing,” Eren said. This was a conversation he really didn’t wanna have with anyone else.

Reiner arched an eyebrow. “That’s not what I heard.”

Eren’s throat went dry. “And what did you hear?”

Reiner grinned as he leaned his elbows on his knees. “That you were having some dreams about the ladies. Don’t give me that look, Eren. It’s not like it hasn’t happened to all of us at one point of another.”

Eren’s anger and embarrassment quickly fizzled. “Really?”

“Of course,” Reiner said. “How could it not when we’re always around such beautiful girls.”

Eren glanced around the room again. Sure some of the girls were pretty but he could honestly say he never noticed before.

“Please, like Eren ever even notices girls even if they are gorgeous. He’s too busy trying to figure out how to get himself killed.”

That annoyance was quickly coming back when Eren looked over to see Jean standing in the area now.

Reiner snorted. “You’re just jealous the girl of your dreams would rather spend time with Eren and not you.”

“Shut the hell up!” Jean hissed reaching over to shove him. It really did no good since Reiner just laughed.

Anger filled the pit of Eren’s stomach. The thought of Jean having the same type of dreams about Mikasa made Eren want to punch Jean in the face. Eren really wasn’t sure why but he grit his teeth and shot Jean a glare.

“Who’s the object of your affection then, Reiner?” Armin asked. His tone was light telling Eren he was trying to diffuse the sudden tension.

“Oh no,” Reiner chuckled. “I want to know yours, Armin. You’re always so quiet but you have to have one.”

Armin rubbed his hand behind his neck and gave Reiner a smile. “Nah, not yet.”

Eren nearly snorted. Well, that was a lie. Armin always rubbed the back of his neck when he was lying.

“Out with it then, Eren.” Reiner turned his attention over. “Who were your dreams about?”

Eren felt heat rising to his cheeks. A part of him did want to say Mikasa just to prove Jean wrong but the thought of that getting back to her had his stomach turning. Mikasa was one of his best friends. He shouldn’t be feeling that way about her but his dreams, they just felt so good, so natural with her. Eren always knew Mikasa was beautiful; she was the most beautiful girl here but she was…Mikasa. He didn’t know how to explain it.

“It was no one really,” Eren answered instead.

“Figures,” Jean said, crossing his arms against his chest. “He has someone like Mikasa by his side at all times and he dreams of anyone but.”

Eren stood to his feet, his hands clenched in fists. How could Jean ever act like he knew Mikasa better than Eren? No one did and no one here deserved her. “Says the asshole who dreams about a girl who’ll never be his.” Eren didn’t know if that was actually true but the thought of Jean being with Mikasa sent sharp jolts of pain to his chest.

Jean’s face shifted from smug to sneering. He opened his mouth to snap back but he was cut short.

“Is something wrong?” Mikasa’s voice made Eren jump and turn around to face her. She was standing behind him and Armin watching the scene with an arched eyebrow.

“No, not at all.” Jean instantly dropped his aggressive stance and gave her a smile.

Eren nearly rolled his eyes but the way Mikasa was watching him and not Jean eased some of the tension in Eren’s stomach. “We were just leaving.” He gestured for Armin to follow as Eren walked around to where Mikasa was standing. He had enough of that stupid conversation anyway.

“C’mon, we’ll walk you back to your barracks.” Eren shoved his hands in his pockets as he started for the door, both Mikasa and Armin following.  She was so close he could nearly feel her body heat radiating against him, her presence calming his pounding heart. By the time they said goodnight he already felt much more relaxed.

Eren dreamed about her again that night. He dreamed of holding her close, kissing down the sensitive skin of her neck, of his name on her lips as his hands slipped under her skirt. He woke up with that same tense desire mixed with an uncomfortable unease. He still didn’t know why, even if he did know it was normal. He didn’t know why he always dreamed of her underneath him, of her crying out his name.

What he did know was she really was beautiful.


	6. To Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: The Farmhouse

_**Anonymous:**  You've probably done this but Eren is teaching Historia how to fight and Mikasa gets jealous and disappears. Eren tries to find her and when he does, things happen_

* * *

 

Mikasa was used to the familiar twinges of jealousy. While she didn’t always know that’s what those heart sinking moments were when she saw Eren enjoying himself with other girls or people other than her it was hard to deny it now. She was glad he had friends, she was; Eren was always more social than her. He needed more social interactions, more friends than she did. That was okay, that’s just how he was but it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt when he chose to be with them over her.

She crossed her arms against her chest trying to keep out the cold chill of the farm they were staying on for the time being. Armin was off reading some of the books he found in the house so Mikasa decided she’d try to find wherever Eren went off to, whoever he went off with. She didn’t actually see him leave but she assumed he went with someone which on the plus side would make him easier to find even if the thought that he left her behind to hang out with someone else made her heart ache.

She tried to tell herself it was her fault. Mikasa was too afraid to tell him how she felt and therefore he didn’t know and wanted to be around other people. She kicked at a few rocks on the dirt path. She did it to herself really. Maybe if he knew, maybe then he’d understand but that would require actually telling Eren she was in love with him and she didn’t think she could face that rejection. She supposed feeling left out was better than knowing without a doubt he’d never feel the same way about her.

Mikasa looked up from the ground, hearing Historia laughing at something in the distance. Eren was standing in front of her, telling her something Mikasa couldn’t quite hear but it was making Historia laugh. Mikasa swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat.

He leaned into the shorter girl and held up her arms in the correct stance. He was trying to teach her to fight better. Whether at his urging or hers Mikasa felt her stomach sink, that nauseating empty feeling making her stop in her tracks. Historia held the stance Eren had showed her as he came at her slowly, moving his hands in slow motion trying to teach her how to move to block attacks. She watched him with eager eyes, taking in everything he had to say.

It was stupid, Mikasa knew it was stupid but she felt the familiar hot tear sting her eyes. Eren never wanted to do any of that with her. Okay, so maybe she didn’t need anyone to help her train but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to spend time with him, to do things with him. He was gone for months, she didn’t know if she’d ever see him again for yet another time in her life and it was miserable. Now he was back, and he didn’t want anything to do with her. Mikasa didn’t know what would’ve hurt more; losing him to death or losing him to someone else.

She turned on her heel and hurried back the way she came, reaching up to try and wipe away the evidence of tears on her face. It wasn’t fair. She’d give everything for him and he just never even cared. There’d always be someone better than her; someone who wasn’t so intimidating, someone who wasn’t so strong, someone who was prettier than her, someone more delicate. Anyone who wasn’t her.

Mikasa turned off the path not wanting to go anywhere near the farmhouse as she was still trying to wipe away the tears that wouldn’t stop falling. She headed towards the old barn, sinking down against the wood hidden behind some hay stacks till she was sitting on the damp ground, her face in her hands.

She was so stupid. What made her think someone like him would ever like someone like her? He could probably get any girl he wanted when all this was over, why would he want her? Historia was beautiful with her bright blue eyes and golden hair, her petite form, and she was strong growing into her role as queen. Mikasa was under the impression Historia wasn’t too into boys but Mikasa guessed you never really could tell that about someone. They’d be a fine match, and if Eren was happy then how could Mikasa be upset.

It still don’t stop the sob that got stuck in her throat. It still didn’t stop the emptiness in her chest thinking about a lifetime of watching Eren being in love with someone else. What good was being worth a hundred soldiers if the one person Mikasa did all of this for wasn’t even by her side?

“Mikasa? What’s wrong?”

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Eren’s voice so close by. Her head snapped up just as he kneeled down in front of her, his eyes wide with concern. Mikasa reached up to quickly push her remaining tears away, hoping he didn’t notice. “N-Nothing,” she said trying to keep her voice from breaking. “Just don’t feel very well.”

Eren snorted. “That’s a lie if I ever heard it. You never get sick and even if you do you never let it get to you. I know you, remember? Tell me the truth this time.”

She didn’t know what to tell him. She very well couldn’t tell him the truth, that would make her admit her feelings and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that heartache yet.

“Historia said she saw you coming and then you turned around and left,” Eren said his knees bumping up against Mikasa’s, his forehead furrowed. “Did someone say something to you or upset you? Because you know you just have to tell me who and I guarantee they won’t ever do that again.”

Mikasa had to smile despite herself. “No, nothing like that.”

Eren nodded though he didn’t look like he quite believed her. He was quiet after that though, and Mikasa wasn’t sure what she should say. She didn’t want him to feel bad that it was himself that hurt her feelings when it really wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know what he meant to her, how much she just wanted to spend time with him.

It was quiet between them for a moment. It was wasn’t uncomfortable, just normal. Mikasa didn’t always have something to say but it was something Eren was used to. She felt like she should say something but she had no idea what to even bring up. Did she ask him about Historia? Or did Mikasa let it be and get up, saying they should probably go inside and forget all of this even happened?

“You know,” he said clearing his throat, and getting her attention again. “Historia asked me to help her. She said she wanted to know how to fight better just in case and I wasn’t doing anything so I didn’t mind helping her.” Eren met Mikasa’s eyes. “You never needed my help, well, at least I always thought you never did.”

Mikasa’s forehead furrowed. She wasn’t exactly sure what he was trying to say.

He must’ve recognized her confusion because he reached up to scratch the back of his head, a nervous habit of his. “Oh, um, Historia said you might’ve saw us and gotten the wrong impression. I told her that was silly cause you wouldn’t ever have anything to worry about but she said girls are funny like that sometimes.”

Mikasa felt her eyes widening a little bit. Historia had seen her then, and pretty much picked up on the situation much faster than Eren did. “It’s okay,” Mikasa said. “You’re more than allowed to have friends.”

“No, I know,” Eren said, his hands dropping into his lap. “But I still wanted to tell you that, uh, I know you’re used to it being just me and Armin, and there’s been a lot more people around us for the past few years but…” He trailed off like he was at a loss for words. He wasn’t always the best at communicating but she supposed she wasn’t one to talk, rather pushing her own feelings away so she wouldn’t have to talk about them. “You’re still my best friend, you and Armin. Nothing will ever change that, I promise.”

“I know, Eren,” she said and she did, even if did set her heart a little more at ease to hear him say it. “Thank you though.”

He snorted. “You don’t have to thank me for that.” His fingers batted the end of her scarf that was dangling between them. “I promised, didn’t I?”

Her breath caught in her throat when she realized what he was referring to, the moment he was referring to. He promised they’d always be together and Eren, he never broke a promise to her before.

“C’mon.” He cleared his throat again as he stood up to his feet, reaching a hand out to help her to his feet. “I’m sure dinner’s almost ready.”

Mikasa slipped her hand into his and let him pull her up till she was standing in front of him, his face just a bit higher than hers. When did he get taller than her? His hand lingered just a bit longer holding onto hers before he let it fall, starting to walk back to the house but waiting till she was walking by his side. He was quiet as they walked but it was nice, it was always nice just to be around Eren even in the simple moments like this.

She couldn’t help but feel a little bit of hope swirling in her stomach. They were getting better at talking to each other, he was getting better about telling her what he was thinking, why he was doing something, catching on when he accidentally hurt her feelings. Eren was always so kind about it now too. He was gentler, like she was the fragile one he could break if he pushed too hard.

Maybe, maybe one day he’d be able to look at her and see the way she looked at him and maybe, he’d feel the same way. Maybe one day she’d be strong enough to tell him how much he was always and completely loved even if he didn’t feel the same way.

For now though, Mikasa could be happy he was still walking beside her. He was still her home.


	7. The Question

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Pre-Series in Shiganshina

_**Anonymous:**  What if mikasa at some point in canon asked carla/ grisha about where babies come from_

* * *

 

“Mikasa!” Carla called from somewhere downstairs, and Mikasa was on her way, bare feet hitting the wood stairs. She had been cleaning her and Eren’s rooms like Carla asked, but Mikasa was always willing to take a break.

Carla was standing in the kitchen, wiping her hands on the apron and looking like she was thinking about something but what Mikasa wasn’t sure. She straightened her dress as she walked the short distance from the stairs to the kitchen, eyes looking up at the woman who only a few months ago was a complete stranger. It was a little strange, Mikasa never knew the Jaegers before that night, but now it was like they were always a part of her life. They warmed up that part in her heart that felt cold.

“There you are,” Carla said with a smile when she saw Mikasa standing in front of her. “Would you do me a favor and run down to the market and find Eren and Armin? They’ve been gone for too long and they’ve probably gotten themselves into trouble.” She rolled her eyes. “Eren’ll be late for lunch if he doesn’t hurry back.”

Mikasa’s heart sped up a little in her chest. It was always too quiet when her and Eren got separated for chores, and she was more than willing to have his bright smile and warm presence around her sooner. “Of course,” she nodded, hurrying right over to the coat rack by the door where she last left her scarf. She draped the soft, red fabric around her neck with every intention to tie it around her neck and run down to the marketplace as quickly as she could but Carla’s laugh stopped Mikasa’s motions.

“Sweetheart,” Carla said with an amused smile on her lips. She walked over to the door until she was crouched down in front of Mikasa. “It’s the middle of the summer; I don’t think you need a scarf.” Carla picked up the end of one of the scarf ends and flipped it up towards Mikasa’s face.

“I know,” Mikasa shrugged, though the scarf brushing by her face tickled and made her laugh. “But I like it. I like to wear it.” She wasn’t quite sure she knew how to tell Carla that wearing it made her feel stronger, it made her feel like she could do anything if Eren was with her. Through his scarf he always was.

Carla held some of the fabric in her hand as she watched Mikasa, before carefully staring to tie the scarf around her neck. “It’s special to you, isn’t?”

Mikasa nodded, trying to bite back a smile. Carla always understood even without Mikasa having to say a word.

“It’s always good to have little pieces that’re special to us.” Carla flattened the scarf against Mikasa’s chest. “Then you can pass them onto your kids.”

She knew Carla was just teasing but it sent a jolt down Mikasa’s spine, a distant memory of a day that really wasn’t that long ago and the one question her parents could never answer for her. “Auntie Carla?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Where do babies come from?”

Carla looked surprised, like she wasn’t expecting that question to come out of Mikasa’s mouth. “Oh, well, um, did your…” Carla trailed off but Mikasa got what the question was.

She shook her head. “My parents never told me.”

Carla bit down on her lip, like she was debating if it was something she wanted to tell Mikasa or not. She really didn’t know what the big deal was cause her mom looked kinda the same way when Mikasa asked too.

“Okay,” Carla said standing up and putting her hand out for Mikasa to take, and led her over to the couch. “Well, first things first…” Carla sat down and reached out for Mikasa, picking her up and placing her on Carla’s lap.

Mikasa nestled her back against Carla’s chest and Mikasa rolled her head onto Carla’s shoulder, while she placed her hands on Mikasa’s lap. It was a familiar position of comfort; one Carla would scoop Mikasa into whenever Carla thought Mikasa was upset, or when she was visibly upset. She always felt more comfortable just sitting here.

“Sometimes a mommy and a daddy want to have a family, so they decided to have a baby. Through their love with each other they can create a new life that’s a little bit of him and a little bit of her.”

Something seemed off, that didn’t really make sense to Mikasa. “So if they love each other than just a baby appears?”

“No, it’s not quite that simple,” Carla chuckled. “Once a new life is made it’s just an itty bitty form, it needs time to grow and develop the limbs and organs it needs to be able to live in this world. Do you know where the baby grows until its ready to be born?”

Mikasa shook her head.

Carla grabbed a hold of both Mikasa hands with Carla’s, and placed them over Mikasa’s stomach. “Right in the mommy’s belly.”

Mikasa’s eyes went wide as she looked down at her hands and Carla’s hands pressed up against her. “Really?”

“Oh yes,” Carla nodded. “Moms carry their babies right in their bellies so the baby can get all the nutrients and development they need before the baby is ready to come out and breathe on its own.”

“Doesn’t it get heavy?” Mikasa said looking back at Carla.

She chuckled. “It does but strain on your body, a baby can grow up to be even ten pounds in your stomach. You get tired easy, you ache more , sometimes the baby likes to kick you in the same spot over and over again until you’re pretty sure you have bruises on the inside of your stomach.”

“You’re talking about Eren aren’t you?”

“I’m telling you, that boy never slept,” she laughed. “He was always turning and kicking and rolling around making it nearly impossible for me to sleep. I think he just liked to keep me awake for company.” Carla patted Mikasa’s stomach with a sigh. “He was just always ready to come out and be a part of the world.”

Mikasa had a hard time biting back a smile; that did sound like Eren.

“But you know what, all of that is worth it. You wanna know why?”

“Why?” Mikasa asked.

“Because when you have a little baby growing inside of you, you can feel every motion, every kick, every hiccup, every stretch, every turn and you know you have this life that needs you to take care of it. This small thing that love created, that weight it has on you makes you form a bond with your child that nothing can replace. It’s just, unconditional love.” Carla reached up to tuck some of Mikasa’s hair behind her ear. “I bet if anyone asked your mama she would’ve said the same thing.”

Mikasa swallowed the lump in her throat. “What about the daddies? If they don’t carry the baby what do they do?”

“Oh, he still does plenty,” Carla laughed. “He gives you massages, and makes sure you and the baby are healthy and taken care of. He gets up at ridiculous hours of the morning when you’re hungry for something completely not appropriate it eat at 3am. He soothes you and the baby back to sleep when it doesn’t seem like that child would ever stop kicking. He makes you feel comfortable and loved. That’s what daddies do.”

Eren always took care of Mikasa, she wondered if he’d take care of her like that when they were older too. She couldn’t think about it too much, not when she felt her face heat up and felt her stomach start to flutter so much it made it hard to breath.

“There, how did I do?” Carla asked bringing Mikasa back to the conversation.

There were still some things she didn’t understand like how the baby got in her or how it got out but her mind was so hazy from thinking about Eren she didn’t bother to ask. “Good, thank you, Auntie Carla.”

“Of course, sweetheart,” she said as she carefully helped Mikasa down to her feet. “Why don’t you go see if that boy is on his way back, hmm? Tell him if he doesn’t hurry I’m feeding his lunch to that stray cat he loves so much.”

Mikasa nodded and started to head off to the door. The thought of seeing Eren after all that was making the heat stay up in her face, and her stomach was still flipping. She also hadn’t seen him since this morning, and while that wasn’t too long of a time, she missed him. She reached for the handle of the door to pull it open.

“Mikasa?”

She turned around to see Carla crouched down behind her. “Yes, Auntie?”

Carla hesitated for a moment, but she reached up to place her hand on Mikasa’s cheek. “Even though you weren’t mine, even though I didn’t carry you like I did Eren, you know I love you just as much, right?”

Mikasa reached up to wrap her arms around Carla’s neck, hugging her. “I love you too.”  Mikasa knew that there was probably nothing that could fill the hole losing her own mother left, but when Carla put her arms around Mikasa, pulling her into Carla’s warm and caring embrace, Mikasa felt everything she never thought she’d feel again. It was warming, soothing, safe, comforting, loving, everything a mom should make her feel.

Unconditional love Carla called it, Mikasa wasn’t sure exactly what that meant but she knew what it felt like. Just because she lost her mom, didn’t mean she could never have one again.


	8. Massage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Non-Specific; The Cabin or The Farmhouse

_**shingekinokelli** **:**  Idk if you're taking any prompts/requests, but I have one I'll just leave: Mikasa and Eren giving each other a massage (in canonverse)._

* * *

 

Eren figured with as much as he physically trained since he was twelve years old, at this point in his life he was immune to anything Levi or Hanji could throw. Eren should’ve realized that was a challenge to them and he should’ve never thought it.

At least at the farm house they had semi hot showers, which he tried to soothe his aching body after a long day of training in the yard. It made him feel a little better, but not by much. Every motion hurt, even bringing his spoon up to his mouth at dinner hurt. Thankfully no one questioned why he was wincing at his soup because everyone else looked about as miserable as he was. Eren didn’t even do any training in his titan form today, it was pure physical hell. He was fairly certain the muscles on his body that most definitely weren’t there a few years ago meant he wasn’t out of shape.  Maybe someone drank all of Levi’s tea and he was taking it out on them. Again.

Eren eventually decided maybe he was just tired and climbed into his bed in his solitary room. The only noise being the wind outside. He thought with how exhausted he was he’d fall asleep right away but of course, he couldn’t find a comfortable position no matter how many times he tossed and turned in the small bed.

He groaned and reached his hands up to rub his face. All he wanted to d was relax and he couldn’t even do that. He wondered if maybe there was some deep mental issue that was keeping him from being able to get comfortable despite his exhaustion but he found he was too tired to even self-reflect. Eren just wanted to sleep and for his body to stop feeling like he got stepped on by a Titan, maybe two.

There was a knock on his door and then silence again. He glanced out the window in his room; the moon was already high above in the sky. Everyone should be in bed by now.

“Who is it?” he called out. He knew it was one of his teammates, mainly because Levi or Hanji would’ve barged right in, and even more so he knew that quiet knock.

“Mikasa.”

Not that it was too much of a surprise. “Yeah, you can come in.”

The door creaked open and then closed shut again, Mikasa standing in front of it already dressed for bed.

“Is something wrong?” Eren tried to roll over to face her but his body wasn’t having it.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You just seemed out of it, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Once upon a time he may have felt that aggravation, that annoyance with her trying to take care of him even if he was exhausted. Now, it felt childish to have ever thought that about her. “Yeah,” he said. “I dunno what was up with training today but I’m sore in places I didn’t even know could be sore. I just wanna sleep but because everything hurts I can’t actually sleep. Which I guess is no different from any other night.”

Mikasa was quiet for a moment before she walked the short distance to his bed. She crawled up on it, something that also wasn’t too unusual when she couldn’t sleep either, but instead of laying down next to him she sat down on her knees. “Where does it hurt the most?”

He wanted to say “everywhere”, but he knew that probably wasn’t the answer she was looking for. “Um, probably my back.” That in the least was the pain that was keeping him from getting comfortable. His legs and arms he could handle but the tightness in his back just wasn’t letting him rest.

“Sit up,” she said simply.

“Mikasa, I’m exhausted.”

“Please.”

There was no telling her no sometimes, so with a sigh and a wince he pushed himself up to sitting position.

“Move over to the edge of the bed.” Mikasa patted the spot in front of her.

Eren really just wanted to lay back down and go to bed, but he inched himself forward till his legs were hanging off the mattress, his back to her. He felt the bed dip some as she moved herself closer to him, but before he could even turn his head to ask what she was doing, her fingers were on his back.

He nearly jumped at the sudden contact, her slightly cold hands cutting straight through his shirt to the skin of his back. The shocking sensation was short though, being replaced by something that was wonderful. Mikasa’s hands and fingers worked along his upper back, pressing into one shoulder, then over to the other, relieving tension he didn’t even know he was holding. It felt better than just about anything else Eren felt before. It was like each muscle that was sore and aching was being relieved in the best sorts of ways just by her fingers.

“Where the hell did you learn this?” Eren murmured, his eyes half lidded from relaxation.

Mikasa was quiet, only the rustling of his shirt against her fingers as they moved lower on his back.

He was gonna turn his head to make sure she heard him but a thought jolted his stomach. She was close to him, he could feel her body heat radiating off, her hands working down his back, onto his sides causing goose bumps to rise on his skin. Had she learned it from someone else here? Someone who showed her by sitting that close to her, touching over her skin like she was to him. His stomach swirled with a strange mix of anger and disappointment at the thought alone.

“My mom used to give my dad massages after he worked longer days,” Mikasa said quietly, her hands moving back up to find a knot under his shoulder blade.

Eren had to bite back a groan at her fingers pressing down and trying to relieve one of the many points of tension on his back but it was also one of relief. That relief quickly got sucked back up in a hitch in his breath when he realized just how intimate the act Mikasa was giving him was. She never brought up her parents lightly, nor would she remember such a thing if it didn’t have an impact on her as a child.

“I’ve never actually done it before,” she said. “I hope it feels okay.”

“No, yeah, it feels great,” he breathed, hoping his thankful tone masked the breathlessness he felt.

“Okay, good.” She pressed her fingers down into yet another knot, this time in the middle of Eren’s back and he had to close his eyes at the feeling. It was like she knew exactly where every sore muscle was, exactly where every point of tension was, and well, knowing how observant Mikasa was, it wouldn’t surprise him if she did.

They sat in silence again as she worked through his back, making him feel looser and more relaxed than he felt in years. He wasn’t sure how much time went by but her hands had to be exhausted by now. It wasn’t fair for him to just take from her while she was probably tired and sore too. People liked to think Mikasa was invincible, that nothing every hurt her, ever bothered her; hell, he used to think like that. He knew better now though, she was human and more than capable of hurting.

“Here,” he said, turning his body on the bed so he was facing her. She was much closer than he was expecting, coming face to face with her dark eyes. “Um, turn around.”

Mikasa gave him a questioning look, the one that meant she was about to protest.

“No, go on, turn around. It’s only fair.”

She bit down on her lower lip but turned around on the bed, her hands in her lap and her back facing him.

Eren suddenly had no idea what he was supposed to do. Put your hands on her back, he told himself, rub in circles or pressed down gently or whatever. It was easy in theory but now that she was sitting there, her back vulnerable to him, he couldn’t help but notice how small she looked. She could lift as much as him with ease, her body probably rippling with muscles but here her frame looked so small. He carefully brought both his hands up to her back, gently brushing over her shoulder. He almost instantly retracted them when he felt the warm skin of her back straight through her thin night shirt.

He carefully pressed his fingers down into her back, and felt what he must’ve felt like to her. He could easily feel all the muscle she carried in her back, but they were tense, knots balled up almost everywhere. He knew why; Mikasa didn’t just carry tension for herself, she carried it for everyone. People could call her emotionless and heartless if they wanted to, but she cared more than just about anyone he knew. He bit down on his lip and pressed the palm of his hand down onto one of the knots.

Mikasa let out a small hiss and he immediately backed off.

“Too hard?” he asked, peering slightly over his shoulder.

“A little,” she said though Eren knew she was just being generous. “Try and ease it out, not force it out.”

That kinda made sense. He placed his palm back over the same spot, his other hand pressed against her lower back to keep her steady, and carefully rubbed the knot. She didn’t wince this time, or even really move so he figured he was doing a better job. He pushed more pressure against her, working in careful circles until he felt the area loosen up. There, that was better.

Mimicking what she did earlier, Eren kept rubbing those nice circles against every inch of her back he could reach, paying closer attention to the knots until they eased their way out. Mikasa didn’t make too much noise, just some small gasps here and there which only encouraged Eren. Even when his hands and arms felt a little like jello he tried to keep going until he could run his hands up and down her back and find no bits of tension.

Her skin was so soft underneath her shirt, and he knew he maybe shouldn’t have noticed that about her, a part of him just didn’t want to stop. There was something about the way she trusted him with her back, the way she let herself be this open to him, to let him touch her like she touched him it just…made him never want the moment to end.

But it had to. He couldn’t stay up all night and neither could she. As much as he enjoyed sharing what little time of peace they had together, his eyes were already starting to droop probably due to exhaustion and the way she already got him relaxed.

“Better?” he asked leaning forward so his chin was over her shoulder.

Mikasa turned to face him slightly and he thought in the moonlight he could see a red tint to her face. “Yes, thank you.” She cleared her throat as she inched around him and towards the end of his bed. “You should probably get some sleep though. If you sleep past Levi’s wakeup call again he might actually murder you.”

Eren grunted, but she was right.

“Goodnight,” she waved slightly, heading right to the door. Mikasa did look more relaxed, looser but there was something about the way her shoulders sagged slightly that made his stomach clench.

“Hey, Mikasa?”

She stopped and turned her head back to him.

“You don’t have to leave.” He wasn’t always sure how to exactly say, please, I want you to stay, and was even less sure of what those words would mean to him, so he tried to leave it up to her, giving her a way out if she wanted it.

A small smile pulled at her lips. She never did seem to want that way out.


	9. Bullies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Pre-Series in Shiganshina

_**Anonymous:**  those bullies from the first episode trying to bully mikasa about her parents( and maybe it works for them.. like the first days she just came into the jaeger family) but eren won't have any of it and put them in their place?_

* * *

 

Three apples, two loaves of bread, one bag of flour. Three apples, two loaves of bread, one bag of flour. Three apples, two loaves of bread, one bag of flour.

Mikasa recited it over and over again in her head as she walked the familiar path from the Jaeger’s house down to the market by the base of the wall.

Three apples, two loaves of bread, one bag of flour.

She jumped at the opportunity to do something for Aunt Carla who was trying to make dinner, and some apple pie, Mikasa suspected. The thought alone had her drooling. She was more than happy to walk down to get whatever Aunt Carla needed while she was stuck in the house watching the oven. Mikasa had the money clenched in her hand making sure she didn’t drop even a single coin.

Her scarf blew against her body as the wind cut through the street and she had to jump out of the way to narrowly avoid a horse and rider who turned a corner too fast. She jumped up on barrel and slid down into a normally closed off alleyway but it was faster to get to the market that way. Eren showed her all the shortcuts and all the paths through Shiganshina, and she took to memorizing them so she could always get to where she needed to. Also so she could find him whenever he ran off.

Three apples, two loaves of bread, one bag of flour. Three apples, two loaves of bread, one bag of flour.

Speaking of Eren, Mikasa wasn’t quite sure where he ran off to. Armin had to stay home to help his grandpa with some chores so she knew Eren wasn’t over there. He was supposed to be doing chores but he was probably doing anything but. Like that was a surprise.

She darted out across a street before the horse and buggy coming up got too close and into another alley. Mikasa was almost there, just a few more streets and one more alley switch. Aunt Carla always told them to stay on the main roads, that it was safer that way, and Mikasa didn’t like disobeying Aunt Carla but at the same time, this was so much faster. The quicker she could get there the quicker she could get everything back to the house. Mikasa turned to run down a main road a little bit, weaving in and out of the people coming home from the market and turned into the last alley way.

She had to promptly skid to a stop when she saw three boys blocking her path. They were spread out, taking up the whole alleyway. There was no way she could get around them without them knowing she was there and they were already looking up at her.

Mikasa swallowed hard.

Three apples, two loaves of bread, one bag of flour. Three apples, two loaves of bread, one bag of flour.

She knew these boys, they lived in the Jaeger’s neighborhood and they always picked on her, Armin, and Eren. They weren’t nice people and Mikasa didn’t like them one bit.

“Well,” the older of the three smirked at her. “If it isn’t the foreigner.”

Th-Three apples, two loaves of bread, one bag of flour. Three apples, two loaves of bread, one bag of flour.

Mikasa didn’t say anything, she just went to back away. If she could get out then she could run; she was faster than all of them. They watched her as she back right up into a body, but it wasn’t one she recognized. Mikasa spun around to see a fourth boy gleaming down at her. When did they get another friend?

Three apples, two loaves of bread, and…um…one bag of flour.

She was blocked, caged in. She didn’t want to have to fight them. Eren always got in trouble for it, and Mikasa didn’t want to get in trouble. She didn’t want anyone to send her away from her new home. She liked it here even if it had only been for a little bit. Mikasa clenched the money tight in her fist. She’d just wait till she had an opening to run.

“What you got there, foreigner?” One of the other boys slapped at her hand that was holding the money.

She didn’t answer, just reached up to clench the money against her chest.

The boy standing behind her shoved her a little bit, nearly making Mikasa trip but she stood tall. They couldn’t bully her into doing anything, whether they thought so or not.

Three apples, one bag of flour and…and…two loaves of bread.

“Looks like she’s got some money,” he said, peering down at her.

Mikasa instinctively moved away and to them that was apparently a yes.

“Alright, foreigner, fork it over,” the leader said, holding his hand out.

“No,” Mikasa spat. “It’s not yours.”

“So she does speak,” one of the other boys cackled. “We always thought you were just a dumb mute.”

“Doesn’t matter what she says.” The leader took a step forward, looking down at Mikasa. She was never quite sure how old he was but he was taller than her. “We’ll just take it from her anyways.” He reached out to grab her hand but Mikasa quickly back up and out of reach.

Unfortunately, it landed her right in the reach of the boy standing behind her and he promptly shoved her causing her to fall right to the ground. The dirt was still wet from the rain and she knew her dress, her hands, even her scarf would be all muddy after this. She still didn’t let any of Aunt Carla’s money slip through her white knuckled fist; she wouldn’t lose what was trusted to her no matter what.

Three apples, and…two…two loaves of bread, one bag of flour.

“Tough one aren’t you?” The leader stepped down on Mikasa’s wrist, holding her hand in place in the mud. “Not tough enough though.” He reached down to pry her fingers open but Mikasa let out a cry. It must’ve startled him because she could push his foot off of her with her other hand.

She quickly sat up, back against the stone building of the alley, both hands clutching the money protectively to her chest. It must’ve made the boy angry that she did that; his face was red and eyes were narrowed at her.

“Give me the damn money, bitch,” he growled, him and the three other boys closing in on her.

Mikasa closed her eyes, and clenched her fists. She’d fight them all. She could fight them all. She didn’t want to but she would so she could do what was asked of her.

“Geez, do you assholes kiss your mother with that mouth?”

Her eyes fluttered open at the voice, relief filling her chest.

The boys looked a little surprised and more than a little annoyed. “Get outta here, Jaeger, or we’ll beat your ass like we always do,” the leader said, not stepping back from Mikasa. “But don’t worry, we’ll take good care of your little girlfriend.”

Eren jumped off the barrel he was standing on, probably jumped down on it from the roof; something his mother specifically told him to never do but Eren did it all the time. Mikasa was more than a little happy to see him, but she also didn’t want him to get hurt because of her.

She opened her mouth to tell him just that but he was already staring down the leader. Eren looked so small in comparison but she knew no matter how big the opponent, he never backed down.

“Sorry, can’t really do that,” Eren said, his eyes narrowing. His shoulders tensed, and hands clenched in fists at his side; all telltale signs of him being angry. “Cause I heard the way you were talking to her, and trying take things that quite clearly belong to her and not you. So if you ever think you can talk her like that and push her around like that again, you’re gonna have to deal with me.”

The boys, who had now all turned from Mikasa to Eren, started to laugh. While Mikasa felt her heart leap up into her throat at Eren standing up for her, she also knew Eren never once won any of those fights he started with these guys. She slowly stood to her feet while none of them were looking at her.

“What a joke,” one of the boys sneered. “You always end up flat on your ass.”

“So what?” Eren said. “At least I always get back up. I bet one hit would send you down on your ass but you’d just cry for your mommy.”

The boy lunged for Eren but Mikasa was already there, standing in the way. The boy looked startled enough that she took the opportunity to pull her fist back and punch him squarely in the jaw. Even Mikasa was surprised when it sent him into the wall behind him, legs crumpling under him as he fell to the ground.

“Shit, Mikasa,” Eren said, staring wide eyed as the other boys scrambled around their fallen friend. “Good hit.”

Mikasa didn’t really have time to be embarrassed or to tell him to watch his language cause he would slip up in front of his mother because the boys were turning on them again looking even angrier than before. “Should we run now?” she asked.

“Yep, now’s a good time to run,” Eren agreed. He grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers, something that might’ve made her stomach do those weird flutters but they were already running down the alley and out onto the street.

She had no idea if the boys were still following because she didn’t want to risk looking behind her. Eren pulled her along though she could keep up with him easily. He led her through other alleys, a few streets, nearly getting stepped on by a horse, and helped over a few walls into new and secluded areas.

Finally he leaned up against a wall, breathing heavily as she tried to catch her breath too. “I think we lost them,” he panted, glancing out at the main street.

Mikasa nodded. She opened her hand to count the money there, just to be sure. It was all still there though the coins had left impressions on her palm from how hard she was holding it.

“Are you okay?”

The sudden shift in his voice made her look up. Eren moved to stand closer to her, his fingers tracing over some of the mud on her dress. She had to swallow hard when his eyes met hers, looking at her with such intensity and concern.

“They didn’t hurt you right? Cause I’ll go right back there and punch all of them into the wall if they did.”

She shook her head. “No, they didn’t hurt me.” Her voice sounded breathless even to her own ears.

“And you’re not just telling me that so I won’t get into a fight and then get in trouble with my mom?”

“Promise, I’m not hurt. They just wanted the money.”

He nodded in understanding. “What is it my mom needed? I’ll take you down to the market.” His face suddenly turned a little bit red, and he took a step back from her. “You know, just in case they come back.”

“Oh…um…” She recited the mantra the entire way down, and even when she was with those bullies. Yet now after everything that happened she couldn’t remember the list at all.

He looked at her funny when she started to laugh.

“I’m sorry,” she said, holding up the money to him as the giggles wouldn’t stop. “I can’t remember.”

Eren snorted. “Don’t worry, happens to me all the time.” He shoved his hands in his pocket and nodded towards the street. “C’mon, we can go down and walk around, it may come back to you. It’s what I always do.”

“Okay,” she said, following after him.

None of the boys jumped out at them, or were waiting for them so she figured they were safe. She walked beside Eren quietly, like she did almost every day. He was just staring straight ahead, probably focused on getting the new chore over with, which is why it surprised her when he said her name.

“Yeah?” she answered.

“Um, you know, those names those assholes called you?” He side eyed her as he walked. “You know they aren’t true right? You aren’t any of that. Me and Armin and Mom and Dad, none of us think that you’re a foreigner, you know that right? You’re not any of those things, you’re family.”

Eren was back staring straight ahead but Mikasa felt warmth fill her chest. She looked down at her scarf, the red standing out against the pale pink dress Aunt Carla bought.

“Thank you, Eren.”

He grunted something in response as he reached up to scratch the back of his head, but she didn’t quite hear him. That was okay though. Mikasa knew Eren never thought that way about her and that was enough to make the bullies’ words harmless to her. She breathed a sigh of relief; everything was more at ease when Eren was there, he made her feel more relaxed, more at peace.

She let out a small gasp and looked over to Eren who was already watching her.

“Three apples, two loaves of bread, one bag of flour.”   


	10. Rumors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: After they join the Scouting Legion

_**Anonymous:**  would you consider to write some comedy, like really funny comedy where the 104th trainees and the veterans do silly things that people don't think they would've done? like perhaps erwin sometimes likes to eavesdrop his soldiers gossiping about a certain person. he comes to the said person to offer him/her to talk about it bc he just wanna know more of his subordinates (AND HE IS REALLY CONFIDENT ABOUT IT). turns out the gossip was all misunderstood so he ends up embarrassing himself XD_

* * *

 

Erwin always thought himself a very intuitive man. He was the leader of the Scouting Legion and a military man for most all his life; he knew he could read people and he always thought at least two steps ahead. Of course, all the intel that he needed from his subordinates didn’t just come by speaking with them or observing them. It was impossible to know everything just by a look so sometimes he needed a little extra help.

Some people would come to him to give him information they felt he might want to know but not everything got reported to the commander especially not the things whispered in the halls when members of the Scouting Legion thought no one else was around. Levi was vocal about how he felt on the subject of Erwin snooping around but he paid Levi no mind. After all, he never cared to be in anyone’s business unless it was mission related; Erwin had a different job to do.

 Voices down the hallway made his ears perk up. He couldn’t exactly tell who they were but they were female voices and at a nearby distance. Erwin quickly pressed his body against the wall trying to hear what the girls were talking about. It might be a little hard to explain should someone walk by but the hallway seemed to be pretty empty, most everyone else in meetings about the upcoming mission.

One of the voices was speaking but they were still a bit away for Erwin to hear everything. “I wish…knew more.”

“I know.” They were getting closer. “To think…new recruits.”

Now Erwin was very interested. They just got quite a handful of recruits out of training, much more than they normally did; if there was anything troubling about any of them, that was something he needed to know.

“Yeah, you would’ve thought someone would have given them a little training on  _that_. After all, they’re all about, what fourteen? Fifteen?”

One of the girls made a pitying noise. “Fifteen and pregnant could you imagine?”

“God no, nor would I want to. My own life is hard enough let alone trying to support another life in this world and in the military.”

Erwin had heard enough, and they were getting too close to his hiding place. He turned and headed down the opposite hallway, his mind swimming in new information. One of the new recruits was pregnant? How would that be possible? Well, they were about the right age that wasn’t the issue. While they weren’t separated here like they were in training, they still had curfews and separate rooms. But Erwin knew for a fact it wasn’t too uncommon for the rules to get blurred especially at night.

He made his way back to his office and took a seat; all the new recruits’ files were still sitting on his desk, having only read over them once so far. There weren’t too many of them, especially of the girls, so while he wanted more confirmation before he jumped to conclusions, figuring out who it was would be the first step to that.

Erwin grabbed a hold of the stack of files and quickly sorted them between male and female before he opened the first one. “Sasha Braus,” Erwin read aloud, looking over her picture and the notes that had been left. He remembered her, the brunette who stood for the Scouting Legion despite her shaking body and tears. Judging by the messy notes from Shadis Erwin thought it was highly unlikely to be her, but he wouldn’t rule anything out.

“Krista Lenz,” Erwin read the next file. A pretty little thing that was for sure, and judging by the notes she was well liked by both genders though especially by another woman, Ymir, whose name Erwin recognized by another one of the new recruits. He glanced at the files still in the female pile and pulled out Ymir’s. Skimming through the notes there was also a comment about how her and Krista were always around each other at just about every time of the day and Erwin, though he hadn’t seen too much of them so far, the times he did they were together. He put both their files back; it was probably very unlikely to be either of them.

“Mikasa Ackerman,” Erwin read the last female file name and it was the one he recognized the most, just because she had been a topic at the trial with Eren. The file had similar comments that she was always with Eren and Armin Arlert which Erwin found to be accurate since they were still all together at the trial.

Ah yes, there was something about the trial that was interesting in this situation. Eren and Mikasa were childhood friends, both of which killed at age nine in self-defense. Erwin would never claim he could understand how that must had been for children but the bond it had given the two was clear enough. After all, once Mikasa’s name was brought up in trial and the accusations of her being executed as well, that was the first time Eren lost he composure in front of all of them. Besides, Erwin wasn’t blind; he saw how the young girl looked at Eren. She was his best lead so far, though it was a shame, Shadis’ notes were nothing but praise for the talented girl.

Erwin looked at the stack of boy’s files but he was pretty sure if anyone he had his answer. If it was her, it was probably only Eren who would be the father; they obviously only had eyes for each other. Yet that would quite a bit of complications all over with him being a shifter and how unknown that particular talent was. In fact the MPs would probably have a field day if they found out he was fathering a child. Erwin reached up to rub his temples; this just turned into an entire ordeal.

Even more so though, the poor things. They were just kids, just fifteen years old and both orphaned at a young age. What did they know about being parents? He had to do something for both their sakes. They were in his care now.

He tucked the files back to their homes on his desk and headed back out into hall; he needed to figure this out and work it out before anyone else found out. He was going to find Levi and speak to him about it even though he knew the look Erwin was going to get when Levi found out how Erwin found this out but hasty voices stopped him in his tracks.

“Eren, you have to tell someone,” came Armin’s concerned voice.

“No,” Eren responded. “I can’t, she’ll get in trouble. I’ll just take care of it myself okay.”

There was a pause and Erwin risked glancing around the corner. Both Armin and Eren were standing in the next hallway over, both in their uniforms leaning against the wall.

“What if we tell the Commander, not the Lance Corpal? Maybe he could help.”

“Armin, no, I told you we’ll get in so much trouble if we tell anyone. I told you, I’ll handle it. I owe Mikasa that much.”

Another noise down the hall must have jolted them because they hurried away passing by Erwin but not seeing him. Well, that seemed to settle that. Erwin leaned back against the hall trying to think of how to proceed. He didn’t quite want to think about what a fifteen year old boy who could turn into a titan thought handling a situation where his childhood friend was pregnant but Erwin knew he needed to intervene before this got messier than it already was.

Erwin hurried down the hall until he could see Eren and Armin still walking somewhere within the building. “Eren,” he called out, trying not to scare the two. It didn’t work, they both nearly jumped out of their skins as they tried to give hasty salutes. “Sorry to scare you,” he chuckled, trying to set them at ease. “But could you and Miss Ackerman meet me in my office, as soon as you can.”

Eren nodded. “O-okay, Sir. I’ll go get her.”

“Thank you,” Erwin nodded with a smile, turning to head back to his office where he could think again before they showed up.

Being back in his office didn’t help much though; what was he supposed to say? While pregnancy happened in the Scouting Legion before, it wasn’t too often and it normally required a discharge but that could not happen in this situation. She would need to be protected and kept safe and kept in secret.

There was a tentative knock on the door.

“Come in,” Erwin said, taking a seat at his desk.

Eren opened the door with Mikasa standing close behind him; she looked relatively normal, but paler than Erwin remembered seeing her. They both gave him a salute and Erwin gestured for them to take a seat.

“Sorry for the last minute meeting,” Erwin said as they sat down.

“It’s okay, Sir, what did you want to see us for?” Eren said, fingers trying not to fidget with the hem of his shirt.

Erwin took a moment to collect his thoughts. “I know sometimes actions have consequences that we don’t quite expect or want but it happens, and we do have to handle those consequences the best we can once the action cannot be taken back.”

Mikasa had her eyes up watching him but she didn’t look like the attentive girl Erwin saw her be, while Eren was just barely looking at Erwin.

“We’re sorry, Sir, it was my fault,” Eren said.

It was rather sweet he was defending her again and Erwin couldn’t help but smile. “No one is here to point fingers and blame, it’s just to resolve the situation at hand.”

“Armin said we should have gone to the Lance Corporal first but I was afraid he would kill us.”

“Well, he does give off that aura doesn’t he? Would you like to explain how it happened? No need to go into all the detail, trust me I understand  _how_  it happens.”

For the first time Eren looked less scared and more confused. “Uh, well, Sir, I’m not entirely sure.” He turned to Mikasa and opened his mouth, but quickly shut it when she glanced a little helplessly at him.

Erwin had to chuckle again, oh to be young. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, it’s all quite normal, especially for your age. Did you never have a class on it in training?”

Now Eren looked rather baffled. “A class on what, Sir?”

Erwin shifted in his seat. Eren was acting a little bit dumb on the subject and Erwin wasn’t sure if he was just embarrassed or was really in denial of what was going on. He had heard Eren and Armin talking though; he knew this was the situation, all the pieces fit. “Well, the consequences of intimacy.”

Eren choked, his eyes widening as he looked to Erwin. Mikasa betrayed her normal stoic expression to stare at him similarly, her cheeks about as red as her scarf.

“We’re not…we didn’t,” Eren sputtered, his own cheeks and the tips of his ears growing red. “Mikasa,” he said hastily pointing to the girl next to him. “N-not that Mikasa isn’t…I mean… n-no! No, that isn’t wh-what happened!”

“Eren,” Erwin raised his hands slightly to calm him down. “It’s okay. I know about it, all of it.”

Eren only shook his head furiously. “I brought her to the kitchens cause she wasn’t feeling well and…and she got sick in the kitchen. I didn’t know what to do cause Levi would kill us twice and I didn’t know where his cleaning stuff was.” He rambled on his face only getting redder the longer he talked.

Erwin looked from Eren, who was panting slightly from his tirade to Mikasa who was still staring wide eyed at Erwin. “So the problem you were scared to tell Levi was…”

“Th-that we had just cleaned the kitchen and we weren’t even supposed to be in there,” Eren spoke hastily, his hand shaking. “We never-” he cut off again with a choke.

Erwin swallowed hard but was careful not to let them see the change in his demeanor. Well, he had gotten this all wrong. He was good at reading people; Eren was reacting not to hide something but because Erwin had obviously embarrassed Eren probably more than anyone had in his whole life.

Erwin turned to Mikasa. “Is that the truth?”

She nodded slowly. “Yes, Sir. I just don’t feel well today.”

The silence that had settled in the room was more than a little awkward and unsettling as Mikasa had turned as red as her scarf and Eren looked he was quite literally going to die of embarrassment.

“Second floor room 245, that’s where Levi keeps the supplies. Make sure everything gets put back when you’re done. Mikasa, you have my permission to take the day off and Eren, you’re more than welcome to look after her if you’d like. You’re both dismissed.”

“Yes, Sir,” they mumbled scrambling to their feet. They both saluted him and basically ran out the door.

The moment the door shut Erwin’s head hit the desk with a groan. He should have never jumped to conclusions on that one. Not only was he wrong but he thoroughly embarrassed two teenagers who clearly hadn’t discovered  _those_ feelings quite yet. What had he been thinking?

“You learn your lesson about eavesdropping yet?”

Erwin pulled his head up to see Levi leaning up against his doorway. “You placed that gossip didn’t you.”

Levi shrugged. “Maybe if you weren’t such an old woman jumping on ever rumor you hear you wouldn’t embarrass yourself.”

Erwin couldn’t really say too much; he did feel horrible about what he put both Eren and Mikasa through when they weren’t ready for that conversation. “Maybe it will keep them away from getting those ideas in their heads.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it.”

“Fine,” Erwin sighed, throwing his hands up in the air slightly. “You win. I’ll stop.”

“I doubt that.”

Well, that was true enough.


	11. Rumors II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: The Cabin

_**Anonymous:**  omfg that fic about erwin is just perfect ahaha i knew it he must've had that silly side of him we've never saw before XD anyway like your other fics it was great and beautifully-written! :D and yes i agree that the eremika tag really needs this kind of thing rn to brighten up. i hope you could make another thing like this with the other characters_

* * *

Sasha knew she probably shouldn’t risk going into the kitchen while she was supposed to cleaning the upstairs rooms but she was starving. There was no way she could wait till dinner; she would probably die if she tried. She snuck down the stairs easy enough, no one was even in sight anyway, before she quietly walked to the kitchen door on the other side of the living room. Eren she thought was supposed to be cleaning the kitchen, so as long as she didn’t make a mess or eat too much he probably wouldn’t care.

She gently pushed open the door and slipped in, shutting the door just as quietly behind her. It didn’t seem like anyone outside the room had heard her. Sasha breathed a sigh of relief as she turn to lean up against the door, but apparently she had been so quiet that the people in the kitchen didn’t even notice her. Oh yes, Eren was not alone nor did he seem too interested in cleaning.

No, he seemed far too preoccupied kissing Mikasa and that wasn’t just a peck on the lips that was for sure. She was sitting up on the counter with Eren in front of her, his hands on her hips while her hands were snaked around his back, pulling his tan shirt up around his chest.

“Oh my God,” Sash gasped, probably way too loud.

Judging by the way the two in the kitchen froze it was probably way too loud.

“Sasha,” Eren hissed, turning to face her as he tugged his shirt back down. It was pretty obvious to see the red on his cheeks and Mikasa was about as red as her scarf; she was quickly trying to pull down her skirt and avoiding all eye contact.

 “What are you doing here?” He asked harshly, his voice cracking.

“Clearly not enjoying myself quite as much as you were.”

“Sasha.” His eyes narrowed which might have been menacing if he didn’t look so embarrassed.

“And Connie owes me his piece of bread at dinner tonight. Wow, what a good day.”

“ _Sasha.”_

Okay, maybe she was teasing a little too much now that the actual shock had worn off. Really though, it was about time. “Relax,” Sasha waved him off. “I didn’t come in here to spy on you. Just to get a snack.” She tried to catch Mikasa’s eye to give her a thumbs up but that girl was barely even looking up at Eren let alone Sasha.

“You cannot tell anyone.” Eren had his arms crossed against his chest. He said anyone but Sasha was betting Levi was the “anyone” he was referring to.

“Okay but I dunno why you care. Pretty sure it’s what everyone assumes you guys are doing anyway.” Sasha didn’t think Eren’s face could get any redder.

He opened his mouth to probably snap at her again, but Sasha waved him off.

“Okay, okay, my lips are sealed.” She eyed a basket of rolls that were sitting on the table. “If you give me a piece of bread.” Hey, might as well get something outta this.

Mikasa jumped down from the counter and grabbed a roll before tossing it to Sasha. It must have been Mikasa’s approval of keeping this quiet; she did seem like a very private person.

Sasha guessed she could understand; she probably would’ve wanted to keep something like that from other’s ears, especially in the situation they were in. “Thanks!” Sasha waved before heading out the door and leaving them alone again.

Almost. Sasha let the door shut before peeking her head back in. She probably shouldn’t have but these were her friends, she was happy for them. Eren had gone back over to Mikasa, standing in front of her as her head fell against his chest. He let out a small though a bit nervous laugh as he reached up to put a hand on her back. Sasha was nearly floored to hear a laugh fall from Mikasa’s lips as she looked up to Eren, her eyes bright.

Sasha let the door close as she shoved the roll in her mouth. It was cute, it really was. Sasha knew them for years now and while she always knew Mikasa was practically head over heels in love with Eren, it was nice to see the change in him recently and see he felt the same way about her. Sasha walked back up the stairs and into the room she had left just a few minutes earlier as she took another bite of her roll.

“Did you really abandon your chores to go eat?”

Sasha jumped a bit as she shut the door behind her. Jean was down on his hands and knees cleaning the floor she was supposed to be cleaning. “Maybe,” she swallowed the last piece of her snack.

Jean shook his head as he sat back on his feet. “Levi would kill you if he caught you.”

“Do you think I’d be standing here if he did?”  _I did catch other people though._ She shook her head; no, she promised she wouldn’t tell. She couldn’t just rat her friends out like that, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t taunt Jean a little bit. “But, I did see something a little…interesting.”

“What are you talking about.” He crossed his arms, clearly not looking very impressed.

Sasha shrugged as she leaned up against the door. “Exactly what I said. I might not have gotten caught but I did catch a few of our comrades slacking off in interesting ways.”

The realization seemed to hit Jean as his eyes widened. “No, you didn’t.”

“Oh yeah, I caught  _someone_  making out when they were supposed to be cleaning.”

“Who!”

“I promised not to tell.”

“Sasha!” Jean stood up to his feet. “You can’t just taunt me and then not tell me!”

She shook her head; this was actually kinda fun. “Can’t say who it was.”

“One of the two?”

She was going to say no, but they never specified if both had to stay secret. What the hell, it wasn’t her fault if everyone worked it out by themselves. “Eren.”

Jean looked like he was a mixture of outrage and disbelief. “No way. No way in hell.”

“I swear to you, Eren was one of the pair.”

“God,” Jean sighed, flopping down into a nearby chair. “How did  _he_ manage it before any of us.” He let out a sigh. “Since you’re telling me, I doubt it’s you, leaving Historia and…Mikasa.”

“What about Connie and Armin?” Well, she did have to be devil’s advocate here.

Jean arched his eyebrow at her. “Connie’s in the next room over, I just saw him a minute ago and Armin, really? I would think he’d have more sense in that head to kiss anyone but Jaeger. My bet is on one of the two remaining girls.”

Sasha shrugged. “Maybe.”

He watched her carefully, like she was going to give something up but Sasha knew how to keep a secret. Plus she didn’t want to face Eren if she told Jean of all people Eren was with Mikasa.

“I’ll just go ask Armin then,” Jean said standing up. “He’d know.”

Sasha stepped away from the door letting him out. That was probably true but Sasha never told Jean that; it was all him now.

Jean had to stop himself from slamming the door behind him. Eren fucking Jaeger. How the hell did he get a girl before Jean? How the hell did Eren get a girl period? Not that Jean was focused on getting a girlfriend; after all they had far more important things on their minds but still! It wasn’t like there wasn’t a girl in this cabin that he would have loved to be making out with; the thought alone brought heat to his cheeks. No, it couldn’t be Mikasa. Yeah, she doted on Eren and followed him everywhere for some unknown reason but they were like brother and sister. Yeah, brother and sister. The thought didn’t quite soothe him as much made him clench his jaw because even he could tell that wasn’t the truth.

Where was Armin? Jean didn’t even know but he had to find the blonde now.

“Hey, Jean,” Connie’s voice called. “Done with the next room already?”

Jean glanced over to Connie who was standing in the doorway with his broom. Well, Connie would do for now. Jean reached out to Connie’s shoulder and pushed him backwards into the room he had been sweeping, shutting the door behind them.

“What’s going on?” Connie asked with a frown.

“Who would Jaeger be making out with?” Jean asked quickly.

Connie stared at him dumbfounded for a moment. “Who would what?”

Jean resisted the urge to hit his forehead. “Sasha said she walked in on Eren making out with someone but won’t say who. So who do you think it is? I tried to find Armin but it’s driving me insane.”

“Uhh, well it’s Historia and Mikasa right?” Connie said thoughtfully. “Mikasa is one of his best friends, so they are already close but I dunno he never showed too much interest in her. He has been stuck with Historia a lot and she’s been sad so maybe they found comfort in each other or some crap.”

Well, it wasn’t too bad of a thought and it was much better than picturing Jaeger with Mikasa. “Yeah, that would make sense.” Jean decided to ignore the fact Historia spent all her time with Ymir and none of them until Historia ended up in the cabin with them all.

“Eren and Historia, huh.” Jean said. He liked it, and it gave him a chance with Mikasa again. “I can see it.”

Connie nodded. “I’m sure it’s who it was. I wouldn’t tell Mikasa though, she probably wouldn’t be too happy.”

Jean shoved Connie’s head causing him to groan. “Okay, okay.”

Connie kept on cleaning the room until finally they got the dinner call. He carefully leaned the broom back up against the wall and bolted down the stairs with Jean and Sasha shortly behind. Armin was already sitting at the table and Connie had half a mind to ask Armin about the whole Eren and Historia thing but when both Mikasa and Eren sat down next to Armin, Connie decided he valued his life more.

Historia took her seat at the opposite end of the table while Levi took the head of the table, Connie, Sasha and Jean filling in the empty seats. Sasha’s hand was already reaching for more rolls with a small grunt from Levi.

“Hey, Historia,” Eren said. “Can you pass me the butter please?”

Eren had kept such a normal tone, like no one knew what was going on between them that it just made Connie snort in laughter. He didn’t quite expect to have the whole table staring at him.

“Something funny, Springer?” Levi asked, buttering his own roll.

“N-no, Sir,” Connie said.

Everyone seemed to look away except for Jean who was glaring at Connie warning him to keep his mouth shut. Connie shoved some bread in his mouth. It still didn’t stop him from watching the small blonde girl pass the butter bowl over Jean and to Eren’s open hand, her fingers brushing against his.

Connie snorted again and now everyone was staring at him but especially Eren. Connie swallowed hard; why couldn’t he keep his big mouth shut?

“What is so damn funny?” Eren asked, arching an eyebrow.

“N-nothing!” Connie tired but Eren wasn’t relenting. “I’m just happy for you?”

Now Eren just looked confused. “For what? For eating butter?”

Sasha tried to cover her laugh but it didn’t work.

“No!” Connie glanced over to Jean who looked like he was stuck between motioning for Connie to just say it to embarrass Eren or nervous if Connie said what Sasha would do to the both of them. “B-because…” Ah what the hell, Connie didn’t like keeping secrets anyway. Besides everyone would be happy! “This world sucks, I’m glad you could find some love in it.”

Eren’s eyes got so wide Connie was almost sure they were about to pop outta his head whereas Mikasa was choking on the water she had been sipping. Sasha was making motions to try and get Connie to stop talking but the damage was done, Levi’s eyes met his.

“What the hell are you going on about?” Levi said in a tone that was not asking a question.

Shit. Connie was not getting outta this. He pointed to Sasha sitting next to him. “Sasha said she saw Eren and Historia making out.”

“Connie!” Sasha exclaimed, her eyes wide as she started at him while Historia was choking on her food next to Jean

“Sasha!” Eren hit both his hands on the table as he leaned over towards her. “You told him what!?”

Sasha had her hands up in defense. “I didn’t!”

“ _Historia_?” Mikasa was staring at Eren now. “Excuse me?”

“That is  _not_ true,” Eren exclaimed, his mouth slight agape. “I’m pretty sure Historia has someone else who is not me she’d much rather make out with.”

“Oh so you weren’t making out with anyone today when you were supposed to be doing chores?” Jean said, sitting back in his chair as he munched on his bread, clearly enjoying this.

Eren must have met Levi’s eyes because Eren was looking a little pale. “No! I mean, Y-yes.”

“Yes, you were or yes, you weren’t?” Jean asked, practically grinning.

Eren gritted his teeth as his eyes flickered from Levi to Jean. “Yes,” Eren answered. “I was.”

Armin, who had been silent up until now, clasped his hand over his mouth as he tried to hold back his snort. “Historia though,” Armin laughed. “Where did that one come from, Sasha?”

“I didn’t say Historia! I didn’t say  _anyone_ ,” Sasha huffed.

“But you did say something.”

Both Eren and Mikasa’s eyes were on Sasha as she tried to give them a smile. Eren and Mikasa…Eren…and…Mikasa…

“Ohhh!” Connie exclaimed. “It  _was_ Mikasa wasn’t it?”

Jean started to choke on his bread now and Connie was pretty sure Mikasa was about as red as her scarf. Huh, imagine that. It had been her. Clearly Connie wasn’t too great at putting two and two together.

“Where did Historia come from then?” Armin asked, still looking very amused.

“ _That_ wasn’t me,” Sasha said. “I just said Eren, I never said who he was with.”

“I swear to God, Sasha, I am going to-” Eren got cut off by Armin laughing again though.

“I suggested it,” Connie said, giving Eren a meek smile. “But Jean agreed with me so I figured I was right!”

Eren turned to Jean. “Really?  _Really?_ I’ve been around the same girl my whole life and you say Historia?”

Jean looked like he was about to bit back but a sharp elbow to the side from Historia made him cry out instead.

“So let me get this straight.” Levi’s voice shut them all up. “Braus caught you two brats and went to taunt Kirstein who collaborated with Connie that the only logical female Jaeger was with was Historia.”

“Basically,” Connie nodded weakly.

Levi stared at them for a moment. “You all are idiots. Learn some observation. Historia never showed any interest in any of you and Jaeger and Ackerman, anyone could see that a goddamn mile away. Eat your damn food and get back to work.”

“Yes, sir,” they all mumbled looking down to their plates.

“And next time wait till your chores are done before you want to fuck around.”

If Eren and Mikasa’s faces weren’t red before, they sure were now. Connie felt bad, this really was his fault. Well, not directly that was Sasha for starting it but he continued it and made it worse.

“Sorry, you guys,” Connie whispered over to them. “But hey, I’m glad it was you, Mikasa. It makes a lot more sense.”

“Connie, shut your damn mouth,” Jean grunted.

Connie grunted as he bit down on his bread. “You’re one to talk.”

“Enough,” Sasha hissed before Jean could bite back.

Eren tossed his fork down on the table as he pushed his chair out. “I’m not hungry anymore.” He didn’t look angry with them as he stood up just embarrassed.

“Me either.” Mikasa followed him out the door, face still as red as her scarf. Eren held the door open for her.

“Oi, Jaeger. Watch it. I don’t care what you do but I will kill you if you knock her up.”

The door slammed behind them leaving the rest of the table in silence. Connie looked around at the others while they were glancing at each other, Levi the only one eating; though Armin looked like he was still trying not to laugh.

“Connie,” Sasha said, the first one to break. “You owe me your bread. You lost the bet; it took them one week since we got here.”

“Dammit,” he groaned. He had forgotten about that. Oh well, he thought, tossing her a roll. It was worth it to know the truth; even if Eren and Mikasa were about to ignore them for the rest of eternity. Hey, at least they all learned to knock first now.

 

 


	12. First Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: The night Mikasa came to live with the Jaeger's.

_**Anonymous:**  In fic request please? Carla meeting Mikasa for the first time (and learning she and Eren murdered three men)._

* * *

 

Carla wasn’t one to worry too much when Grisha took longer with a patient. Every appointment took time, and the Ackerman’s did live all the way in the forest. It was a longer ride there and back, not to mention the actual appointment could take longer due to a variety of reasons. She still couldn’t help but feel anxiety fill the pit of her stomach as she sat on the couch facing the door, dinner growing cold on the table.

They should’ve been home by now.

She looked up at the door hoping any moment she’d hear the two sets of familiar footsteps, hear Grisha scolding Eren for something he did on the way back. Carla didn’t mind that Grisha took Eren with him any time there was a house call. She thought it would be good for Eren to learn so that he could follow in his father’s footsteps to help people. She also knew the Ackerman’s had a little girl and Eren needed to learn how to be more social. They were all good things, but she couldn’t stop feeling like something was terribly wrong.

She was just worrying too much, she told her herself. Even if something was wrong, Grisha was more than capable of taking care of himself and Eren.

Footsteps were on the small, wooden steps and Carla immediately stood up. She wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but there was no chatter, no laughter, Eren didn’t bust through the door complaining how hungry he was. Her heart sank when the door opened and she saw the look on Grisha’s weary face.

Something was wrong.

He didn’t say anything though he did try to give her a smile. Her eyes looked down to where Eren was stepping through the door, his hand pulling someone in after him. He looked okay, as normal as ever, though his clothed were a little stained and he was missing the scarf Carla made him wear before leaving the house.

She didn’t even get the chance to ask what happened before she noticed just who Eren was pulling in. Grisha reached behind to close the door, cutting off the cold air from spilling in more. It was a little girl, no older or younger than Eren was. She had his scarf around her neck, Grisha’s jacket over her shoulders, one hand holding onto the bottom of it tightly and the other holding onto Eren’s hand. She didn’t look up from the floor but even Carla could see the tears in the small girl’s eyes.

Carla looked up to Grisha, feeling that same horrible anxiety but this time mixed with confusion.

“Mom, this is Mikasa,” Eren said, taking a step forward. “She’s gonna stay with us here.” His voice was so firm she didn’t even know if she could object if she understood what was going on.

“Well, hello, Mikasa,” Carla said instead, trying to hide the worry in her voice. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Jaeger,” Mikasa said in such a soft voice Carla barely even heard it.

“Eren, why don’t you take Mikasa up to your room and give her some of your clothes that might fit her for now,” Grisha said.

“Okay, Dad.” Eren turned to Mikasa, and he said something to her but Carla couldn’t make out what it was. Mikasa followed him without another word. It was only then Carla noticed Mikasa had similar stains over her dress too.

Carla looked up to Grisha who waited until the footsteps upstairs stopped before he sighed and moved to sit down on the couch. He dropped his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes before looking back up to her.

“Her parents were killed,” he said.

“Oh my God.” Carla pressed her hand to her chest, walking over to take a seat next to Grisha. “How?”

“I have no idea. I opened the door and they were laying there already. It was already far too late.”

“The poor thing.” Carla couldn’t even imagine. It was absolutely horrible. “Was she there when it happened?”

“Yeah,” Grisha said, looking over to Carla. “She saw the whole thing before the murderers grabbed her.”

“Did the Military Police find her then and get her away unharmed?”

He sighed again and looked out over the room. “I wish it was that simple.”

Carla furrowed her forehead. “You aren’t making any sense. How did she get away? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she did but one little girl against the people who killed her parents? It’s not every good odds.”

“Carla, I don’t want you to panic when I tell you, okay?”

Her stomach sank. “That doesn’t exactly lead to me not panicking.”

A smile cracked at his lips but it didn’t reach his eyes, no, those with filled with dread when he looked at her. “I went to get help, I told Eren to get somewhere safe and to stay put and out of sight. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me he didn’t listen to me at all.”

Carla’s heart nearly stopped; the look in Grisha’s eyes, the stains on the children’s clothes. She placed a hand over her mouth to try and hide her gasp. “Don’t tell me…”

He nodded. “When I came back, Eren was with Mikasa, the three murders already dead.”

“But how? How could they’ve done something like that? Over thrown three grown adults?” It was unbelievable. Adrenaline could make you do things you normally couldn’t but how two children survive that? What must’ve happened to resort to little children kill to survive? Eren wasn’t exactly a peaceful child, but to kill? Even in self defense, Carla couldn’t even imagine. 

“I have no idea,” Grisha said shaking his head. “All Eren would say was he couldn’t leave her there to die. If he didn’t do something no one would’ve gotten there in time which as angry as I was at him for putting his life in danger, I can’t deny he was right. They didn’t kill her right away which means they were gonna sell her into slavery or worse. She’s only nine, Carla, as old as Eren is. If he hadn’t done something she’d be long gone for a life even worse than seeing her parents die in front of her.”

Carla wanted to cry, not because her nine year old son killed someone though that was an image that was hard for her to picture and not even because there was another mouth to feed in her house, but because no child should have to go through what this little girl did. No one should have to witness that, to feel that horror and that fear. “What did the police say when they got there?”

“They aren’t gonna charge either of them if that’s what you’re worried about. They ruled it as self-defense on sight.”

“Did they say anything about Mikasa? Now that she has no parents?”

“Carla, they didn’t care at all. They were gonna take her and probably throw her in some orphanage and never look back. I wish I could’ve talked with you over it, but I had to do something then and there though…” A smile pulled at his lips. “Eren might’ve had some strong words to say if they tried to take her away. He was already dragging her home before I even said I’d take her.”

That really didn’t sound much like Eren, but Carla saw that way he was already protective of Mikasa in just the few minutes she saw them. Carla doubted something changed in Eren, so there must’ve been something special about Mikasa to him.

“Of course she can stay,” Carla said. “I’d never want a child to go wanting, especially after losing her parents. We’ll make do.”

Grisha nodded, but Carla could tell how worn out he was from all of this.

“Why don’t you heat up the food so we can eat, and I’ll go talk to Mikasa. Okay?”

“Alright,” he said, standing up, but not before leaning in to give Carla a kiss.

She followed after him but turned up the stairs on first door to the second floor. She heard Eren talking on about the house, and a smile pulled at her lips. Despite the horrible circumstances, a part of her was so relieved to see him opening up to someone who wasn’t Armin; not that she didn’t love the boy dearly.

“Eren.” She knocked on the door. “Why don’t you go help your father downstairs and let me talk to Mikasa for a moment?”

The door swung open but Eren wasn’t looking at Carla, he was watching Mikasa who was sitting at the edge of his bed. “Is that okay?”

She nodded, her big eyes watching him.

“Don’t worry, my mom is nice most of the time.”

“Oh, thank you, Eren, I really appreciate it.” Carla rolled her eyes and reached down to ruffle his hair as he walked by. She looked back to Mikasa who had her eyes on the floor, hands limply in her lap.

It broke Carla’s heart that in one night this little girl lost everything she ever knew, and left her all alone. Carla would never turn Mikasa away, even if someone wanted Carla to. She walked over till she was kneeling in front of Eren’s bed, right in Mikasa’s view.

“Hello again,” Carla said, making sure her warmest smile was on her face. “I’m Carla, but you can call me whatever feels comfortable for you, okay?”

Mikasa nodded, but she still didn’t look up from the floor.

“I’m so sorry about what happened, sweetheart, I really am, but I wanted you to know that you can stay here with Eren and us for as long as you’d like. You’ll always be welcome here.”

Mikasa did look up that time, her eyes still watery. “I can stay?”

“You can absolutely stay. We’d love to have you. I’d love to have you. All day I’m surrounded by boys, it would be nice to have a girl around.” Carla paused realizing she didn’t even ask what Mikasa wanted. “Would you like to stay here with us?”

She nodded, her beautiful black hair waving around as she did.

“Okay, that’s that then,” Carla said. “Are you hungry? We can go down and all eat together, then I can run the bath for you, get yourself all cleaned up. Might help you feel a little better. Sound good?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll take you downstairs.” Carla held out her hand to Mikasa but she leaned down and reached her arms around Carla’s neck instead.

“Thank you,” Mikasa said, her face burying into Carla’s shoulder.

“Of course, sweetheart,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around Mikasa and pulling her into a tight hug. “You’re safe here. You’re a part of our family now.”

Carla wasn’t sure when it happened, but holding the small girl in her arms she wasn’t like a girl who just walked into Carla’s house no more than a half hour ago. It almost felt like Mikasa always belonged with them. Carla wished it was under better circumstances but now, she had this scared, heartbroken little girl in her arms who needed her.

Carla never wanted to let go.


	13. Cramps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: Trainee Days

_**Anonymous:**  Could you do something in the canon world where Mikasa (being that she's a teenage girl) is overwhelmed in cramps and tries not to show she's in pain (we all know she would steel face it) and Eren attempts to help/comfort her in any way he can? Super fluffy I know but I think it'd be cute!_

* * *

 

They talked to the girls near the beginning to training about these sorts of things; most of them were twelve after all and would have to go through their cycles soon if they weren’t already. They said not to worry if they were late or irregular because they would be very physically active for many years and that could make normal body functions become irregular. Some girls might not even get it all they said. Mikasa really wished she was one of those girls.

While she didn’t have to deal with having her cycle too often, more often than not it skipped over months at a time, when she did get it nothing was pleasant about it. Even after being active in the military for years, it never got any better. She’d have to take extra measures to make sure her pants stayed white, her breasts would ache every time even fabric brushed over them, her body would be even more sore and tender than usual, but the worst were the cramps. Mikasa would want to do nothing but curl up in bed all day long trying to withstand the horrible churning in her lower abdomen. Sometimes it would be enough to make her sick but most of the time she just wanted to be alone in her bed and wait it out.

Normally she couldn’t, she had to be on duty and go about her job like she wasn’t in pain. Mikasa was pretty good at it since she normally hide her pain from other people as not to worry them. But when it was time to go to bed, she was more than ready to put on her most comfortable clothes and stay under the covers for as long as she could.

Mikasa had already crawled into her bed and laid down on her side with a sigh. It was nice and quiet in barracks, most of the other girls choosing to stay out later tonight. Today wasn’t too bad but she already started to feel the sharp pains, the backaches, and she was more than a bit thankful they had tomorrow off from training. Her head hit the pillow and she curled into a fetal position hoping it would relieve some of the pain so she could just go to sleep.

“Mikasa?” Eren’s voice called into the room nearly giving her a heart attack.

She popped her head up to see him making his way over to her bed. She quickly tried to stretch out her body so she didn’t look like she was in as much pain as she was feeling. It didn’t work quite well because she winced when she did. “Eren?” she breathed. “What’re you doing here?”

He sat down at the edge of her bed watching her carefully. “You came in here alone.”

“I’m just tired that’s all.” It wasn’t a lie. She really did just want to go to sleep.

Eren didn’t look like he was buying it one bit. “Did you hurt yourself?”

She was a bit surprised by his question. Sure if Eren saw her get hurt he’d ask, but he normally wasn’t one to ask if she put on her façade of hiding if she was feeling pain. “No, why do you ask?”

He shrugged. “Sometimes I know you aren’t feeling well or that you’re in pain even if you always act like everything’s fine. You seemed kinda out of it today so I thought I’d come check on you when you left the others so early.”

Well, there went her idea she was good at hiding things from him. Mikasa smiled though; he actually noticed. She shook her head. “Just tired.” It was of course that moment her body had to go and curl up on its own as a particularly painful cramp churned her lower abdomen. She was back in the fetal position trying to make it as unnoticeable as she still could. When it passed, she looked up to se Eren still watching her but he didn’t ask what was wrong again.

Instead, he laid down on the bed behind her. Mikasa nearly cried out in surprise when he pressed his chest up against her back, his warm breath on her neck. He placed one hand tentatively on her waist. “Is it okay if I…?”

She had no idea what he was asking permission for but her heart was practically pounding in her throat. All she could manage was a nod.

Eren reached his hand around to her stomach and slipped his other hand underneath her side so his arms were wrapped around her. His hands pressed up against her and moved down a little lower to where her cramps were originating. She did gasp when he started to press his fingers down on her in a rhythmic motion.

“My dad said…” Eren started to say, his hands massaging Mikasa. “That sometimes girls will hurt down in here, and that this helps.”

It did help. It felt like the pain was going away, that the tension was starting to loosen. “Why did he tell you that?” she asked softly. She understood why girls were told about their cycles, they were the ones who had to go through it. Mikasa wasn’t sure why Eren’s dad would’ve told him about it.

He laughed lightly near her ear and it sent chills down her spine.  His hands didn’t stop moving against her. “He told me that one day you’d feel that pain, and he told me I should know how to make you feel better when that happened.” He hesitated for a moment. “Is it working?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it is a lot.”

“Good.”

They were both quiet as Eren continued to massage away the pain of her cramps. She lowered her legs down from her body, brushing against his behind her. Eren didn’t ask her any more questions, like why she was in pain or why it happened to her which Mikasa was thankful for. She wondered if maybe his dad explained it to him a long time ago.

Between his soothing hands, his warm body, and the pain finally releasing Mikasa found herself struggling to stay awake. Normally she had a hard time sleeping during this time of the month but she was finding herself falling asleep very easily with Eren’s presence.

“It’s okay,” Eren said. “Get some sleep.”

Mikasa bit her bottom lip. “Will you leave if I do?”

“Not until I hear the others coming back.”

She settled down into her bed, the motions of Eren’s hands and the slow pounding of his heartbeat lulled her almost immediately to sleep. Maybe her cycle wouldn’t be quite as bad if she had this to look forward to.


	14. Ocean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This last one isn't technically Canonverse but it didn't fit into my other ones, so think of it as a lead into the next set which is two different post series worlds :3
> 
> Setting: The Ocean

_**Anonymous:**  hiiii.uhm is it too much to ask if you write a short drabble of eremika based on Walk The Moon's Aquaman._

* * *

 

Mikasa couldn’t quite tell what time it was but it had to be somewhere in the very early morning judging by the way the moon was shining in the sky when she popped her head out of the tent. She initially woke up because the tent seemed much less cramped then it had when she went to bed. Before she couldn’t move without hitting some part of her body on Eren, but when her eyes flickered open it was just Armin sleeping on the far side of the tent, the middle spot empty. Mikasa tried not to let fear be her first response; they were safe now it didn’t need to be, but years and years of worrying if they would live or die was a hard thing to forget.

Before she could even look for him though her breath was taken away at the sight laid out in front of her. If she thought the ocean was beautiful in the day, nothing could compare to it at night. She stepped outside of the tent to look down over the beach, the sand looking white in the moonlight, and the dark waves lapping against the shore. It looked like something out of a dream.

She found Eren quickly; he was laying down on his back in the sand, eyes on the stars shining bright above them. She let out a breath of relief. He was okay, he probably just couldn’t sleep; old habits die hard she was finding.

The cool, salty breeze blew over her as she started to walk from where they set up their small base on the soft sand of the beach. She sat down next to Eren, her legs pressed up against her chest, and the wind blowing her skirt around. The sand was cool to the touch without the sun to keep it warm but Mikasa didn’t mind; it was even more peaceful under the moon.

“Can you believe there’s nothing out there,” Eren said, gesturing a hand out to the ocean. “No walls blocking our view, it goes so far we can’t even see all of it.”

“Even behind the walls, everything seemed so big,” Mikasa said, her eyes following Eren’s hand out to the horizon. “I know that world had a wall for an end but Wall Sina seemed so far away from us it seemed like maybe there was no end. It’s nothing compared to out here.”

“Couldn’t sleep?” Eren asked propping himself up on his elbows as he looked over to her.

“I was wondering where you went,” she said. “Could you not sleep?”

He shook his head with a small laugh. “I just wanted to see what it was like out here at night too. Pretty, huh?”

Mikasa knew he was referring to the beach and the soothing waves of the ocean but she couldn’t help but watch his face instead. His eyes were bright despite the late hour, and his face that she had gotten so used to being solemn and concerned with the weight of the world always on his shoulders, looked light. He looked like a little boy again, all dimples and smiles. “Yes,” Mikasa murmured. “Very pretty.”

He reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head, which admittedly didn’t help Mikasa stop staring at him. He pushed himself up to his feet and moved to stand in front of her, his hands reaching down and gesturing for her to give him her hands. “C’mon.”

She felt a smile pulling at her lips as she placed her hands in his. Eren pulled her up until she was on her feet standing in front of him, her body nearly touching his. “Where’re we going?” she asked her breath hitching in her throat when he held her hands tighter in his.

He got this smile on his face, one Mikasa hadn’t seen in so long. It sent shivers down her spine. “Come swimming with me.” He started to walk backwards towards the water, pulling her with him.

“Eren,” she laughed. “It’s the middle of the night. We can’t go swimming.” Despite her words, she made no effort to stop him as he pulled her forward with him.

He arched an eyebrow “Who says? I believe I’m the lead officer on this expedition, so you’re gonna need a better reason than that.”

“Armin’s the lead officer, he’s the one who got us here,” Mikasa said, a strong wave splashing up and rushing over her feet.

“He’s sleeping, doesn’t count.”

Mikasa was trying hard to keep her face neutral but when was the last time she heard Eren joke around? When was the last time she heard that light tone on his lips? It was nearly impossible not to smile, not to laugh. “Okay, well, what about, um, jellyfish was it? Armin said jellyfish could swim up close to shore and sting you.”

The bottoms of Eren’s pants were already soaked as he walked into the ocean, still pulling her along. “Armin also said jellyfish only swam close to shore in seasons and he was fairly certain it wasn’t this season when we were exploring this morning.”

“What about sharks then?” Her own skirt was wet up to her calves and only getting worse as the waves pushed over her. The water was much cooler than it was this morning but she was having a hard time caring when her body felt so warm from Eren’s hold on her hands. “Armin also said there were sharks in the ocean and they could come up and try to eat you.”

Eren rolled his eyes, a wave hitting him in the back and submerging the rest of his pants under the water. “Mikasa, how long have we been fighting titans? I’m pretty sure I could handle a shark.”

Well, he did have a point. She couldn’t imagine fighting anything worse than a titan even into the unknown of this new world.

“Are you done fighting me?” he asked, stopping once the water came up to his stomach.

Mikasa wasn’t sure when he got so much taller than her but it was pretty clear when the water was coming up higher on her shirt than it was on him. “Yes,” she said, though she left out that it was obvious considering she was in the water with him already. Even so Eren didn’t drop her hands, he held onto them underneath the water, lacing his fingers with hers.

“Mikasa?” His voice was a little hesitant, like he was unsure of something.

It made her look up from the light waves rolling over her to his face. “What is it?”

“What do you wanna do after this?”

Her breath caught in her throat. “You mean when we get out of the water?”

A small smile pulled at his lips. “I mean when we get back to the walls. What do you wanna do with your life now? You gave up so much for me, I wanna know what you wanna do.”

Mikasa didn’t know what to tell him. She had hoped it was obvious by now that she wanted to be wherever he was, and maybe he did know that. Maybe he was asking her what she really wanted. “I, well, I’d like to help the Scouting Legion rebuild itself and I’d like to see a little more of this world now.”

He watched her with and intent gaze. “And then?”

She bit at her bottom lip. She could say that was it and she’d be happy which wasn’t a lie but there was something more she wanted, something she had wanted for years and years. “I want to have a home again. Nothing special, just a little house somewhere quiet. Maybe a garden to grow vegetables like my parents did and flowers like your mom did.” She hadn’t noticed her eyes fell down to the rippling water as she talked. Mikasa looked back up to see Eren still watching her. “I know it’s silly after the life we led to want to live like that but it just sounds nice.”

“No, Mikasa.” Eren dropped one of her hands, reaching his to her chin, tilting her face towards him. “That’s not silly, not if it makes you happy.”

A smile pulled on her lips. She knew he’d never understand exactly why she wanted the life he never cared for but it was nice of him to sound so understanding.

“Would you be alone?”

Mikasa blinked at him. There was something in his tone she couldn’t quite recognize which was strange because she knew just about every aspect of him. “Oh, well, I wouldn’t like to be. I think that’d be lonely.”

“Who would you want with you?”

She wasn’t sure why he was pressing it so much, but there was an intensity in his eyes as he watched her. It was like he really wanted to know her answer but Mikasa had no idea what to say. She could tell him the truth, but that would out the emotions she carefully held close to her all these years and it could set her up for the rejection she never wanted to hear. Yet there was something about the way he was looking at her, or maybe it was just the way the moonlight was hitting his face Mikasa couldn’t help but think how much older he looked now; his face was more defined, his shoulders and chest broad, his longer hair kept dropping into his eyes. There was still that boyish charm to him, but they weren’t kids anymore.

“You,” she breathed.

Eren was quiet for a moment and she thought maybe it was the wrong thing to say, that she shouldn’t have told him her closest secret; at the same time though it felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Before she could say another word he moved his hand from her chin to the back of her head, pulling her in until his chest was against his, his lips pressing to hers.

She gasped at the sudden feeling of him so close to her but she easily melted into him, her hands pressed up on his slick skin. He tasted a little bit like salt, probably from getting splashed by the water at one point or another but it was something much more than that. Kissing him was warm; even if the water and the air around her was cool, she still felt warm next to him. It was also familiar in a way. This was Eren who she had known since they were kids; she knew his touch, his scent, his presence, everything about him. Most of all it made her feel a sense of comfort she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Being with Eren, it just, it felt like home.

He broke their kiss, leaning his forehead against her. His eyes were still closed, his breath hot on her lips. “Okay,” he said.

“Okay what?” Mikasa was surprised her voice was actually functioning after that.

A smile pulled at his lips as his eyes fluttered up, those turquoise eyes she knew so well. “I can do that. I’ll give you the home you always wanted, the one you always deserved.”

She stared at him for a moment before swinging her arms around his neck, her lips hitting his with such a force he had to move his hands to her waist to keep them both steady in the water. She could practically feel him grinning as he kissed her back.

Mikasa was happy they could be free now, that the world was so open to them and the rest of humanity but this, it was this simple moment with the person she loved longer than she knew what love was that made everything she did in her life worth it. She could stay here in the ocean with him forever, jellyfish and sharks be dammed.


End file.
